The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
We’ve looked at the stories that generated the greatest number of clicks and hits over the past year, read the comments, and then judged them on overall quality to come up with 12 articles that we feel are the best of 2017. Below are the selections, NOT in an particular order. Click on each banner icon to get right to the story.
Story by Sean Smith
In Part 1, Sean Smith relates the fascinating life of a Siata that has been in the same family for almost 60 years, a story that begins back in 1952 with a most unlikely car….Ed.
Dr. Julius Eisenstark had an eye for unique cars. In 1952 when everybody else was buying Fords and Chevys, he bought a Hudson.
Not just any Hudson, but a Teaguemobile.
Dom DeLuise, the funnyman’s funny man, enjoys his Italian food along with Italian cars.
Story by Guy Anderson
Photos copyright Guy Anderson
Warning: It is a violation of US copyright law to use these photos including use on Pinterest without express permission of copyright holder.
Hal Needham, the director of The Cannonball Run, was a stunt man by trade turned actor/director. Needham had many years under his belt perfecting these types of dangerous stunts and was famous for his ability to place the film-goer on the edge of their seat. He went to great lengths to get his audience involved with some amazing stunts that his productions devised and executed.
This was a time when stunts were actually made by real people; there were no computers to generate these stunts. Just imagine riding in the Smokey and The Bandit Trans Am when it jumped the Mulberry Bridge in 1977 at the Jonesboro, Georgia location. This was an insane stunt that is now made famous in the Smokey and the Bandit franchise. The Trans Am was a real car with real stunt men with a very real and extremely dangerous 150-foot jump over a real rotted-out bridge. Needham made that insanely dangerous and scary sequence happen with precision in its execution.
And How! features open and innovative formats for notices, articles and posts
Photo by Roberto Motta
Photos by Roberto Motta and Alfa Romeo
Roberto Motta recently attended the introduction of the new Alfa-sponsored F1 team and sent us photos and PR blurbs. We tend to dismiss most factory PR, but in many ways, this does look promising, despite the fact that Alfa is sponsoring an F1 effort that uses the Sauber F1 chassis and a Ferrari engine. Not a bad combination at all, given the records of each. But then what does Alfa really provide in for new F1 team? Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA, says this in the PR release: [Read more…] about And How! Alfa and Maserati Back in F1?
By Pete Vack
From the Archives, 2009
The following true story is based on the recollections of John Wiech, who bent my ear for a few hours at a car meet last year. We originally published this in 2009 and it was one of our reader’s favorites. [Ed.]
The subject had started another family argument. Johnny had become enamored with a rare foreign car but it seemed no one knew exactly how to pronounce the name. It was German, or was it. “…It’s Austrian,” said his Dad. “But made in Stuttgart,” said Johnny, being careful to put the “sch” in. He reasoned that the sch in the car’s name might sound the same and the vowel at the end be pronounced. His older sister said otherwise. “It’s Porch, as in front porch or back porch, without the ‘e’.”
She always thought she was so smart.
[Read more…] about A Porsche Christmas Story
Rodger Moore standing still for the camera shot with Adrienne Barbeau.
Story by Guy Anderson
Photos copyright Guy Anderson
Warning: It is a violation of US copyright law to use these photos including use on Pinterest without express permission of copyright holder.
In Part 1 of the Making of the Cannonball Run, Anderson left our readers with a description of a special lighting prop used in the night scenes:
The crane was positioned before the overhang outside of the double row of cars used in the movie. The hydraulic expanding arms were extended outward and lowered to plant the crane firmly on concrete while the boom was extended. However, the rear arm was extended and its pad was placed on the ground, which was still damp from rain the day before.
As the moonlight crane sat for hours, no one noticed that the soft ground had given way for the crane to tilt ever so slightly. Then someone yelled out that the crane was sinking – just moments before gravity took its toll. The loud crash was heard by all and the film set was filled with screaming that echoed from the walls of the English Inn. Smoke as thick as a London fog filled the area where the crane fell as the bulbs exploded and smoke covered the complete area.
The smoke started to clear around the fallen crane and it was obvious there was something wrong. Initially no one could see what happened, and then as the air cleared, the extent of the destruction was confirmed. An all original, white-with-black leather 1965 AC Cobra 289 roadster was sitting under the crane.
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
Over the years I have attended scores of motor shows and seen many prototypes and oddities on display, some of which went on to have interesting histories and consequences.
Take, for example, the Mercer Cobra that halted me in my tracks at the 1966 Paris Automobile Salon because it looked different; very different indeed. However, it started ringing bells in the memory. [Read more…] about The Italian American Copper Cobra
By Pete Vack, All photos by Robert F. Pauley
These are photo by former Chrysler engineer Robert F. Pauley relevant to recent past, present, and future articles appearing in VeloceToday. The lead photo above pertains to last week’s review of Powered by Porsche, in which we discussed the efforts of Louis Fageol to create a twin-powered Porsche. [Read more…] about And How! Siata 208CS, Fageol, Gold Jags
And How! features open and innovative formats for notices, articles and posts
Last week we featured the Bob Temple photos from Indy, 1950, along with a quiz in regards to a rare DOHC engine in one of Temple’s photos. It didn’t take long for readers to submit their guesses. [Read more…] about And How! Indy Quiz Winners
The owner of the Countach (left) with Tom Nash (center) and Guy Anderson (right).
Story by Guy Anderson
Photos copyright Guy Anderson
Warning: It is a violation of US copyright law to use these photos including use on Pinterest without express permission of copyright holder.
In 1980 I received a call from my good friend Jeff Glasserow, who worked in the film industry. Jeff worked for Ted Turner at the ‘Super Station WTBS and the all-new CNN center here in Atlanta.
Jeff called to inform me there was a new Burt Reynolds movie that was going to begin shooting in Atlanta in a few weeks. The subject of the movie was racing a Lamborghini in a coast to coast race called the “Cannonball Run.” The race invented by Brock Yates was officially called: “The Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.” Brock Yates had written the script for the movie to be called The Cannonball Run and directed by famed stunt man and a participant in the original Cannonball run, Hal Needham.
[Readers: You do NOT want to miss this exclusive story! Editor]
The shooting location for the movie was located on the perimeter of I-285 close to the entrance of I-20 on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia. The Inn that was commandeered for filming was called the Old English Inn for obvious reasons. The movie execs, including the actors and extras, took over the property for quite some time.
The movie making at the Inn was almost non- stop. The action began in the morning and was still going into the night, depending on what sequence were being filmed. Outside of the film area, behind the barriers, is where the starlets could be found that wanted nothing more than to be “DISCOVERED”. These women were lined up behind the barricades in bunches. They wore full makeup and were dressed to the hilt including heels. Some of the ladies were so gorgeous that it was impossible to concentrate on what we needed to do.
My part was to supply some cars for the production and it was a toss-up on what cars would be most fitting for this movie. One of the cars we were going to include was a 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 that was recently restored. Others that we used were a 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta, a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera GTS and a 1974 Dino Ferrari GTS that a close friend owned at that time.
From the Archives, June 11, 2008
Story and color photos by Roberto Motta
This Alfa Romeo T33/2 is powered by the two-liter Alfa Romeo V8, still with its original 240 horsepower and in its original 1967 European Mountain Championship configuration. [Read more…] about Alfa Romeo T33/2 Chassis 001
Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
Last Friday Alessandro Gerelli had a chance to visit the yearly Milano AutoClassica, held at the Fiera Milano Rho over the weekend of 24-25-26 November.
The event is broken up into several sections: A huge exhibiton hall with room for 2000 vintage cars for sale, the traditional motorsport event in the parking lot, another space just for the sale of spare parts, another section devoted to display current exotics, this year featuring Bentley, Lotus and McLaren, and the only show to feature the Ferrari Classiche with its own workshop. It would probably take the entire weekend to see all of the show. [Read more…] about Milano AutoClassica by Alessandro Gerelli