Wally Wyss on the new Ferrari California Spyder.
Is Wyss on the money? Let us hear your opinion..
[Read more…] about Ferrari California Spyder: Design Critique
Italian
Alfa’s Pre War Titans, Part II
Tazio Nuvolari, Peter Greenfield
and two Tipo C Alfa Romeo 8C35s
Color photos by www.rprincephoto.com
By Pete Vack
Greenfield at Mt Tremblant with Tipo C 8C35 chassis #50015C, the last “C†standing for clone.
At Monterey, Greenfield brought out the real thing; the ex-Nuvolari, ex-Ruesch, ex-Poore 8C35, chassis #50013.
Peter Greenfield is in the enviable position of owning and racing not one but two pre-war Alfa Romeo Grand Prix cars. Furthermore, chassis 50013 which he acquired from Peter Giddings in 2005, is the only complete, original Tipo 8C35 in the world.
[Read more…] about Alfa’s Pre War Titans, Part II
Alfa’s Pre War Titans, Part I
Rex Mays, Peter Giddings and the Alfa Tipo C 8C35
By Pete Vack
Color photos by www.rprincephoto.com
Giddings at Mt Tremblant with the Tipo C, 8C35 Grand Prix car.
Given the might of the Mercedes and Auto-Union teams, the Alfa Romeo 8C35 had a brief but reasonably successful two seasons in Europe. Designed to be fitted with either a V12 engine, or an 8 cylinder, the 8C35 used a longer version of the famous Alfa 8C 2.3 engine, running almost concurrently with the initially unreliable V12 (12C36) while it was being developed. In 1936 Tazio Nuvolari drove the 8C35 to great victories at Coppa Ciano and the Hungarian GP.
[Read more…] about Alfa’s Pre War Titans, Part I
A Cisitalia Brochure
Below are 17 great pages from a Cisitalia brochure, probably 1946 or early 1947.
It is not complete, though it is the best of the brochure. The images are not in any particular order. Enjoy.
Why is the Jolly so Jolly?
This Fiat Jolly 600 was sold at the Barrett Jackson Auction in 2006 for over $43,000. Photo credit Barrett Jackson.
By Pete Vack
If, like Luigi in the movie CARS, a Fiat Jolly could talk, it would probably tell you, with a good hearty chuckle between each breath, the reason Jollys are so Jolly is that they have increased in value from less than nothing to considerably more than $50,000 in an amazingly short period of time. [Read more…] about Why is the Jolly so Jolly?
Ferrari and Lamborghini at LeMans
24 Hours of LeMans
The class winning Risi Ferrari 430GT of Salo, Bruni and Melo leads through the midnight hours.
Richard Prince was at this year’s Le Mans and came back with some great images of the Ferraris and Lamborghinis in the GT class. [Read more…] about Ferrari and Lamborghini at LeMans
Alfa Romeo T33/2, Chassis 001
Story and Photos by Roberto Motta
The subject of this article, this Alfa T33/2, is owned by Marco Cajani.
This Alfa Romeo T33/2 is powered by the two-litre Alfa Romeo V8, still with its original 240 horsepower and in its original 1967 European
Mountain Championship configuration. It is the first of the tipo, and the 33 TT SC12 Turbo was the last.
[Read more…] about Alfa Romeo T33/2, Chassis 001
Alfa Romeo 33SC 12 Turbo Last of the T33s
Photos by Roberto Motta and Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo, Centro Documentazione (Arese, Milano)
Roberto Motta has already presented the story of the first Alfa Romeo T33 (1967, chassis 75033.001 ) in a previous article. Here he inspects the last of the breed, the Turbo 33 as raced for the last time in Hockeneim on October 9th 1977.
[Read more…] about Alfa Romeo 33SC 12 Turbo Last of the T33s
RM to Auction 250LM at Maranello
Press Release By RM Auctions
With the countdown underway to this weekend’s much-anticipated Ferrari Leggenda e Passione event,
RM Auctions is excited to announce the inclusion of a race winning 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, s/n 5845GT, to the auction line-up. This ultra-desirable example will be just one of over 45 of the world’s rarest and most sought after road and race Ferraris to cross the block on Sunday 18th May at the legendary Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy.
[Read more…] about RM to Auction 250LM at Maranello
Automobili Turismo e Sport
Story by Alessandro Gerelli and Staff
As a member of the group who walked out of Maranello during the great Palace Revolt in November of 1961, Carlo Chiti left Ferrari for good. “I shut the door behind me, forever!” he said.
Obviously a chief engineer like Chiti would never end up on the dole, so it was merely a matter of time before he would find employment. “It was said that the real reason for my leaving [Ferrari] was connected to the birth of ATS [Automobili Turismo e Sport]. This is not true. When I left Ferrari I had no idea what the future had in store for me.”
ATS was created by Italian and Bolivian industrialists, as well as the Conte Volpi di Misurata of the Italian well known Scuderia Serenissima. At first, there was money to burn. Placing the new factory near the Pontecchio Marconi, a depressed area south of Bologna, the team hoped that the Government would soon subsidize the effort. The road was named Via Pila, Battery Way– and according to Griff Borgeson, “…everything crackles with allusions to Guglielmo Marconi, whose tomb and shrine is only a couple of ampere-minutes away.” ATS hired on Phil Hill, Giancarlo Baghetti, Romolo Tavoni and the star of the operation, Carlo Chiti. According to Baghetti, both he and Hill joined ATS “precisely because of Chiti’s expansive personality.” The firm planned to build an F1 car, a road going mid engined GT car, and a race ready GT called the GTS.
Chiti arrived in ATS and in a very short time was able to design and produce a nice formula one car with a new 90 degree V8 engine, making sure that the design was much different than the 60 degree V6 he had already designed for Ferrari. Chiti told Graham Gauld (writing in his book Modena Racing Memories ) that “…it took five months to design and build the first prototype.” The GT car would boast a 2.5 liter variant of the F1 engine. According to Gauld Chiti stayed under 3 liters because he didn’t want to compete directly with Ferrari in that class.
If the team’s first season in Formula 1 was while not the success many had hoped for, it was a bad run, either. In 1963 ATS entered nine races, did not start in three and finished only once, when Hill took 11th and Baghetti came in 15th at Monza.
ATS in fact had a great future. But the money simply dried up, and did so very quickly for a variety of reasons. By May of 1964, when Griff Borgeson visited the factory, there was still hope, all of it now centered around the 2500GT.
The ATS 2500 GT (the racing version was the ATS 2500 GTS) was presented at 1963 Geneva Motor Show. If not radical it was certainly more advanced that most Gran Turismos of the era. The engine was mounted longitudinally just behind the driver’s back, there was a very rigid tubular frame, independent suspension and rear inboard disc brakes.
The engine had a capacity of 2.5 liters; the GT sported two 42mm Webers, the GTS four 42 mm Webers. The GT was rated at about 210 bhp and 250 bhp for the GTS. A ZF five speed transmission was available on the street car, and a Colotti designed crash box was fitted to the GTS.
In May, Borgeson had been lucky enough to get a ride and a quick drive in a GTS which was shortly to be shipped to Bill Mitchell, head of GM;s styling department. Borgeson’s report appeared in the September 1964 issue of Road & Track.
Teodoro Zeccoli took Borgeson on an electrifying ride down Via Pila and the outskirts of Bologna. “Zeccoli turned in a performance of dazzling skill and virtuosity. Thank to that and to the absolute perfection of the car’s performance in every way, I have never felt safer in a car at high speed nor have I been more impressed.”
The body, designed by the great Franco Scaglione and built by Allemano was very aerodynamic. The car was very light: 810 kilos for the road version and only 750 for the GTS. The top speed was of 240 km/h and 250 km/h respectively.
The ATS 2500 GTS appeared in a few endurance races: the debut was in the Targa Florio of 1964 with Baghetti and Frescobaldi and a second car with Zeccoli and Gardi. Plans to enter the car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans were scrapped as the car did not reach the circuit because of custom problems at the border.
It was also entered in the 12 Hours of Reims with Zeccoli / Cabral, but did not start.
In 1965 there were a few non-official entrances in endurance and hill climb races, without significant results.
The production was very limited: only 16 chassis were built. The number of the cars really produced and delivered was even less. The production stopped in 1964.
Ferraris Color the Australian GT Races
Color in the Pits
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson
The second round of the 2008 Australian GT Championship moved to the Adelaide street circuit during the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar meeting earlier this year. [Read more…] about Ferraris Color the Australian GT Races
Abarth in America Part 1
Story by Pete Vack
Photo by B.D. Dobbins.
It was noted, some time ago, that there was a disproportionate number of Fiat-based Abarth cars in the United States, sitting broken or unused in garages, driveways and because most Abarths were small enough to fit, in a large outdoor sheds common to so many backyards.
[Read more…] about Abarth in America Part 1