Story by Pete Vack
Last week Brandes Elitch, our longtime contributor/columnist, had his say on Mark Greene’s Cars Yeah. And what a good performance it was! Despite knowing him digitally for fifteen years, (meaning we have never met in person) hearing him on Mark’s excellent series added much depth and humanity to the subject of one Brandes Elitch.
A short time ago Brandes told me he was selected by Mark to be on Cars Yeah! and of course we encouraged him to do so, though it is a bit challenging to speak to thousands of listeners instead of writing. Greene is a great interviewer, and makes one feel comfortable duirng the session. Over the years, Mark has accumulated an enormous body of work that he has created with his podcast site. He has done over 2000 interviews! (Elitch was number 2008.) He is creating a kind of living library by interviewing historical figures while they are still alive, in easy to digest format and length, with get-to-the-heart-of-things questions that get right to the point. Previously, the late David Featherstone and Pete Vack were recorded on Cars Yeah, so Brandes was in good company.
Brandes, (pronounced Brandy), first came to VeloceToday in 2007 with a nice piece about the Alpine A110. What we quickly found out about Brandes is that he was expertly conversant with a wide range of classic cars. In fact he could go from a discussion of Chryslers to a complex comment on Citroen without missing a beat. He was fascinating and different, with sometimes unconventional views that nevertheless attracted a steady following. Whatever the topic, from driving in Italy to Facel Vegas, he would garner intelligent remarks from his readers.
Any reader who currently owns or did own a Lancia and can send a picture to prove it will get a copy of “Lancia Loraymo – And the Loewy Logic of Industrial Design” for free.
In 2014, some time after VeloceToday put together the Randy Cook Bowtie Ferrari book, Brandes came to us with a great idea for a book; Loraymo, a topic in which Brandes naturally excelled; Raymond Loewy, an American designer putting his ample talents to the Lancia Flaminia. Now if that wasn’t made for Brandes we don’t know what is. With his old friend Steve Snyder, who had followed the fate of the Loewy designed car from start to finish, Brandes put together an interesting and unique tale of this reverse Italian American machine, and made it into a compelling book which also featured the photos of VeloceToday’s Hugues Vanhoolandt. Our first attempt at finding a publisher was not successful, but when the late David Featherstone took up the gauntlet, the result was a masterpiece by the name of Lancia Loraymo – And the Loewy Logic of Industrial Design. In 2016 Brandes Elitch was awarded a prestigious 2016 IAMC media award for Entire Publication of a Single Marque. And Brandes, you forgot to mention that to Mark on Cars Yeah! There are still a few copies left so if you want one, contact Brandes at brandeselitch@yahoo.com. If you are or have been a Lancia owner and can prove it with a photo, Brandes will send you a book for free!
Written in September of 2009. An Alfa 1900 Primavera Guido Lanza coupe with a Boano body. “The owner found the car in a barn in New Jersey, where it had slumbered for almost fifty years. The great grandfather of the seller brought it over from Italy and put only 43,000 kilometers on it before putting it away.”
He has visited museums and loves motorcycles. He has interviewed some of the most interesting characters in our motley world including Dave Wolin, Virgil Exner Jr, Mark Ketcham, Mike Rabin, Gordon McCall, Dennis Gray. He has written about Stinky, discovered a Ford that thought it was a Cisitalia, celebrated Citroens at the Mullin, talked Lancia D24s with the late Peter Giddings, attended classes on restoration at the Academy of Art, covered Motorcycles at the Quail for years, met old friends at Retromobile and Hershey, and of course has covered Pebble Beach, Concorso Italiano, The Quail at Monterey.
And that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, for Elitch has penned about 150 stories for VeloceToday so far. And unlike many writers, Elitch has such a large and varied repertoire that he never sings the same song.
Finally, we might add that over the years Brandes has sent his faithful a Christmas letter, as many people do today, though most are not as entertaining as Elitch’s. Every year he writes about his job, or lack of, his reunions with his fellow soldiers, his family, his dog, his cars and his ups and downs, topics that if not well presented might be awkward or boring. But along with the photos he sends with the letter, one looks forward to receiving his yearly updates.
So, we wish to thank Brandes Elitch for all that he has done in the past 15 years for VeloceToday. And here’s to another 15 or so…