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pete

Red Wheels and WhiteSidewalls: An Excerpt

April 7, 2020 By pete

Bill Pollack stands next to Mr. Parravano’s Ferrari 340 America, (S/N 0150A).

We’ve asked various writers, historians and journalists what might be a good book to read during these times indoors. Books that you can’t put down, are easy to digest, (pardon the pun), and known to be page-turners (no, not the car!). Last week’s “Archie and the Listers” was discussed, and several people mentioned Bill Pollack’s book, “Red Wheels and Whitesidewalls.” The excerpt below is taken from Bill’s autobiography.

Pictures and text copyright Bill Pollack
From the Archives, July 7th, 2004
Excerpts from Red Wheels and White Sidewalls with a note from Jim Sitz

There were so many people that played a part in the 50’s evolution of the sport. There were admirals and generals and actors and kids. All got involved because it was exciting and fun. We were amateurs in the strictest sense of the word, and that was a big part of the charm.

In the fifties when the sport of motor racing was beginning to catch on and it was still amateur, most of the entrants were owner-drivers. A few lucky ones like myself had the rare privilege of driving someone else’s car. Without trying to go down a roster of drivers and workers of the fifties, there were a number that stick in my memory as friends.

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Tagged With: Bill Pollack, Bill Pollack Allard, Bill Pollack appreciation, Ferrari 340 A SN 0150A, Pollack Ferrari, Pollack Sitz, Red Wheels Whitesidewalls'

Archie Scott Brown, Remembered

March 31, 2020 By pete

By Pete Vack
Photos by Graham Gauld

The story of Archie Scott Brown is incredible, unbelievable, astonishing, inspiring, heart rendering and finally, tragic; and in today’s world, such accomplishments would be totally impossible.

He was born on Friday the 13th of May, 1927 in Glasgow, Scotland, with no proper right forearm, “merely and elementary thumb and palm, which started below the elbow.” His tiny legs lacked a shinbone, and the legs were “radically twisted and bowed, and the club-feet were tiny, with no discernible toes.” The right foot was twisted outwards about 90 degrees, the left foot almost 180 degrees. Of the limbs, only the left arm and hand were normal. His mother had the German measles (rubella) during her pregnancy.*

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Tagged With: Archie and the Listers, Archie Scott Brown, Disabled race drivers, Graham Gauld, Graham Gauld Archie Scott Brown, Lister Br, LIster Jaguar, Lister Maserati, Scottish race drivers

A Reader’s Story: Ferrari Sharknose at Reims

March 31, 2020 By pete

By Jean-Marc Creuset
Photos by Jean-Marc Creuset unless otherwise noted

Thank you for your highly interesting contributions, and for maintaining our spirits on a high level in these uncertain times.

Last September, “Les Amis du Circuit de Gueux” organized a meeting featuring, among others, both of Jason Stuart Wright’s Ferrari 156 F1 replicas – actually re-creations of the lost originals – and the ex-Jim Clark Lotus 21 which, according to its mechanics, was involved in the tragic Italian GP of 1961.

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Tagged With: 156 recreations, Ferrari 156, Ferrari 156 recreations, Ferrari at Reims, ferrari phil hill, phil hill, Sharknose Ferrari

Etceterini at Atterbury

March 31, 2020 By pete

The McArthur Bandini in the paddock area. He won his class.

From the Archives, August 2007

This is collection of photos from the Clair Reuter Collection, which provide a window into the H modified classes in the Midwest during the early and mid-fifties.
Many of the images were taken at a SCCA race at the Atterbury Airforce Base near Columbus, Indiana, on May 30th 1954. [Read more…] about Etceterini at Atterbury

Tagged With: Atterbury AFB races, Atterbury racing, bandini, Clair Reuter driver, driver, Etceterinis, giuar, giuar 750, Sandy McArthur, SCCA H prod racing

Louis Renault’s Amazing Type A – Reviewed

March 31, 2020 By pete

Review by Pete Vack

In a colorful, imaginative and creative manner, author and historian Graeme Cocks brings to life the story of Renault’s Type A – the first car to feature a direct drive with the engine, clutch, transmission and differential in line. (read Two Old Renaults). It all began in that perhaps not so humble woodshed in the Renault family’s back yard, as you probably ‘heard tell about’ many times. (Renault’s family owned a button-making factory and were well-off.) [Read more…] about Louis Renault’s Amazing Type A – Reviewed

Tagged With: Driving a vintage renault, First Renault, Graeme Cocks, Louis Renault's Amazing Type A, renault history, Renault in Australia, Renault Type A, Vintage Renaults

Phillip Island Classic, Australia, March 5-8 2020

March 24, 2020 By pete

The 1973 Chevron B24/28 of Tom Tweedie.

Story and photos by Vince Johnson

Now into its fourth decade, the southern hemisphere’s largest historic race meeting was spread over four days in March, just before the cessation of sporting events.

Motor racing on Phillip Island, south of Melbourne, goes back further than a mere forty years though, to the first Australian Grand Prix, held on public roads here in 1928. While no cars from the 20’s were competing this year, if there were drivers, officials or spectators of this vintage present, they weren’t admitting it!

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Tagged With: Australia's Phillip Island racing, Australia’s Phillip Island Classic, Iain Simpson, Lancia Beta racing, Paddins Dowling, Phillip Island circuit, Phillip Island Classic 2020, Steve Boyle

Two Early Renaults in Western Australia

March 24, 2020 By pete

The Australian Renault Type A on a pilgrimage to the Renault factory. Credit Graeme Cocks.

By John Waterhouse

Perth, the capital city of the state of Western Australia, seems an unlikely location for two very early examples of Renault production cars. Nonetheless, it is the home for a 1899-1900 production version of Louis Renault’s first car, the single-cylinder, De Dion-Bouton-powered Type A, and a 1903 Type N, a car that used Renault’s first four-cylinder engine. 1 [Read more…] about Two Early Renaults in Western Australia

Tagged With: Early Renaults, First Renault, Historic Renaults, Renault Freres, Renault Type A, Renault Type N, Renaults in Australia

A Visit to Minardi Part 3

March 24, 2020 By pete

Taking one back to 1992, here is the Minardi-Lamborghini M191 driven by Christian Fittipaldi and Gianni Morbidelli. Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.

By Clyde Berryman
Photos by Gulay Berryman unless otherwise noted

No photos please

Massimo squires us out a back door and we take a few steps in the green grass and dew outside before approaching another building. He puts an upraised finger to his lips, implying we need to be extra quiet in here. No photographs either, please. My antennae go up. At last, I assume this is where the real “secrets” to Minardi’s performances must be kept! And as it turns out, this guess is probably not entirely off the mark.

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Tagged With: independent Grand Prix teams, Minardi, Minardi F1 constructors, Minardi factory, Minardi race factory, Team Minardi spa

A Night at La Scala with Alfas and Lancias

March 24, 2020 By pete

From the Archives July 22, 2014

With our friends in Italy in mind…

Time: The Italian Opera season of 1927-28. Place: You are settling in at the world’s most famous opera house to see a performance of Donizetti’s Daughter of the Regiment, and you have great seats, E 15 and 16 on the Destra side of the main floor. On your arm is a dazzling beauty with bobbed hair and a daringly short shimmering dress. The world is yours. [Read more…] about A Night at La Scala with Alfas and Lancias

Tagged With: alfa in la scala, cars and opera, la scala, la scala programs, Lancia ad in la scala, opera and cars

Made in Faenza: Minardi Factory Visit Part 2

March 17, 2020 By pete

Pierluigi Martini’s Minardi M189 model which raced in 1989-90, seen at the Goodwood Festival. Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.

By Clyde Berryman
Photos by Gulay Berryman unless otherwise noted

Read Part 1

The first stop on our factory tour, I quickly come to realize, is not the earliest stage in the actual car assembly process: we find ourselves in the carbon-fiber composite shop. But the revolution in composite materials has become the focus of modern Formula One chassis construction so it is appropriate that we start our tour here.

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Tagged With: independent Grand Prix teams, Minardi, Minardi F1 constructors, Minardi factory, Minardi race factory, Team Minardi spa

Don Black’s Alfa Competition Reference Book

March 17, 2020 By pete

Make your Alfa 1600 vintage race ready…Photo by Vince Johnson.

By Carl Goodwin

From the Archives March 2015

In the heyday of U.S. importer Alfa Romeo Inc. – that would be the late ‘60s to the late ‘90s – a bright, enthusiastic engineer named Don Black managed Alfa’s racing activities during his evenings and weekends.

With the help and support of the president of the organization, Arturo Reitz, he organized contingency programs for Alfa racers. For those drivers who finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd in class, they got $300, $200 or $100. It doesn’t sound like much now, but in 1971 it was a nice payoff. During the first year of this program, the five leading drivers were given a brand new Alfa 2600 roadster for their accomplishments! [Read more…] about Don Black’s Alfa Competition Reference Book

Tagged With: Alfa 1750 race prep, Alfa competition bulletins, alfa factory bulletins, alfa race prep, Alfa Racing Preparation, Don Black, GTA race preparation

Reflections on the SM Part 2

March 17, 2020 By pete

What is this? Brandes has the answer below.

Story by Brandes Elitch

Read Part 1

A series of unfortunate events transpired to seal the fate of Citroën’s SM.

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Tagged With: 1968-1975, automobile museums, Citroën Andre, citroen at Mullin, citroen collectors, citroen mullin, citroen sm, citroen sm bonneville, marc sonnery, maserait road cars, Maserati, maserati bora, maserati citroen years, maserati khamsin, maserati merak, pete mullin, the citroen years

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