Wim Oude Weernink: More Than Just Lancia

Story by Wim Oude Weernink with Pete Vack, photos courtesy the Author

Although Dutchman Wim Oude Weernink has accomplished a great deal over the past 55 years, his name will most likely be associated with La Lancia, the first and perhaps best book on the history of the marque. Its genesis, however, was in Great Britain. Wim recalls:
“I drove my Aurelia B20 to England for the 1973 International Lancia meeting, organized by the Lancia Motor Club. During that event I got the idea to write a book on Lancia’s history because that subject had not been covered yet. It marked the beginning of a fascinating but also challenging journey, with support from London photographer John Maltby.”

A Dutch journalist and English publisher in Italia

To create La Lancia, Wim had help from a famous source: John Blunsden of Motor Racing magazine and Motor Racing Publications, and Swiss historian Andriano Cimorosti, who would focus on Lancia’s racing history. Then it was off to Turin. “There, I needed to explain how and why a Dutch journalist and an English publisher wanted a book on an Italian car. But soon, I obtained full cooperation and access to documents and production records. I met with so many people that the book ‘La Lancia’ – a name derived from the way telephone operators at the company answered the phone – was ready late 1979.”

It was about this time that Wim met American Lancia expert Howard Moon. “I met Howard in the early Seventies in London when he was with John Maltby. We had lunch and discussed a Pinin Farina Fiat coupe which Howard thought was the prototype for the Aurelia B20.” When Moon returned to the US, he spread the word about this Dutch Lancia historian and the landmark book he produced. (Which is how the Editor learned about Wim as well.)

La Lancia was so successful it quickly sold out and a second edition included more history and information as well as private interviews with Maria ‘Mima” Lancia, a meeting with Francesco de Virgilio and others. With a cover by Ercole Spada, the second edition was published in English, German, French and Italian, while a third edition was published in 2006 in Belgium for the 100th anniversary of Lancia.

Enter Gijsbert-Paul Berk

While the book got his name in lights, La Lancia was just part of an illustrious and industrious career as a motoring journalist. Born in 1948, Wim was of the petrol head generation that we all seem to be party to. And like most of us, he was reading car magazines from an early age, including Road & Track and the Dutch Autovisie; a career as an auto journalist was an ambitious vision. He finished an automotive business school and met another figure familiar to VeloceToday readers, Gijsbert-Paul Berk, once the technical editor of Autovisie. “He became my godfather, advising to apply at local magazine Autorevue in February 1968. That was the start of an automobile-journalist career that continues to this day.”

Work for Autorevue included new car testing, motor shows, racing and witnessing tragedies. “1971 was my first Le Mans visit when fellow-countryman Gijs van Lennep and Austrian Helmuth Marko won the 24-hour race in Porsche 917. That year I also saw the close battle with five cars slip-streaming to the finish-line at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and Peter Gethin winning for BRM. But those were also the days when motor racing counted for too many fatal accidents; I witnessed the 1970 death of Piers Courage in his De Tomaso at the Dutch Grand Prix, and four years later Roger Wiliamson being burned alive at the same track during the Dutch Grand Prix.”

New Ventures

Leaving AutoRevue, Wim went on quickly to other projects in addition to completing La Lancia. He wrote a biography on Mario Forghieri for Automobile Quarterly (17/4, Fall 1979) and then wrote the history of Dutch car maker Spyker, renowned for their 1903 six cylinder 4-wheeldrive racing car. And then came a journalist’s dream; to edit one’s own magazine.

“In 1980, a small publishing company allowed me to start-up my own magazine, Auto Selekt, inspired by the Road & Track formula; exotic cars, new design and exclusive interviews. Among many contributors, it was the late John Lamm with whom I became friends. We worked together on many subjects and he showed me around all of the California automobile venues and met with personalities, Phil Hill on more than one occasion. But in 1995 a larger company bought the magazine, pulled the plug for commercial reasons and I was forced to go freelance.

“That marked the next era of journalism. While contributing to local Dutch magazines, doing radio commentaries and also being able to judge on various European concours d’elegance, two publications became my leading activities. First there was Italian Auto & Design magazine with design analyses, and also the European edition of Automotive News, starting in 1998 as a contributor and after 2000 as staff-reporter. The 2008 financial crisis caused a break but still enough to write about and comment on, until today.”

Always Lancias

During those 55 years as a motoring journalist there were always Lancias. For Wim, it began in August 1969 with a hint from colleague and friend Harm Lagaay, in later years known as design-manager at Porsche. “When asked about something special to buy he told me about a 1953 Lancia Appia 1st series being for sale. Bought for only 900 Dutch guilders and despite a broken engine I was immediately bitten by the little car’s refined engineering specialities. That led to a very nice Aurelia B20 coupe. I restored a Lancia Astura Pinin Farina coupe between 1978 and 1993, changed my B20 for a B50 cabriolet and restored my current favourite, an Appia Camioncino pick-up truck and an Appia coupe with a surprising history in San Diego.”

And the Lancia books kept on coming

As said, La Lancia was republished by Wim’s Belgium friends Leo and Jan van Hoorick, from a respected journalist/publishing family, with strong Lancia interest. “Their portfolio only consists of my books. They were also willing to publish subsequent titles, focused on Appia, Flavia/Fulvia, Flaminia, Lancia commercial vehicles and special bodied ‘fuoriserie’ Lancias. And another book is in the pipeline about Lancias from the pre-Lambda years. But equally important is that I have enjoyed so many friendships with Lanciisti worldwide, and not the least fellow Lancia authors Nigel Trow, Geoffrey Goldberg and Bill Jamieson who unfortunately has passed away.”

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