VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Monterey Round One

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Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

The 32nd annual Concorso Italiano was held at the Blackhorse/Bayonet golf course at Fort Ord, California, on August 19, 2017. Originally conceived by Francis Mandarano of the Maserati Information Exchange, this event has been managed since 2009 by Tom McDowell.

Concorso Italiano is probably the largest gathering of Italian special interest and collector cars anywhere in the world. Special features this year were “Seventy Years of Ferrari,” the 50th anniversary of the Maserati Ghibli, and the first part of a three-year celebration of Alfa Romeo, this year featuring the GTV, Giulia, and 4C. I particularly appreciated the interview on the stage with event originator Mandarano, who gave a history of the event and a tribute to Tom Tjaarda, who passed away recently, but was in attendance at previous shows. There was also an interview with Pete Brock, and one of the highlights of the day for me was getting to talk to Pete in person. [Read more…] about Monterey Round One

A Touch of Dante’s Genius: The Junior Racers

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Meico Koudstaal owned this OSCA Formula Junior car several years and participated it in many races on European circuits. Photos courtesy Coys Classic Auto Auctions

Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk

The Formula Junior was the brain child of Giovanni “Johnny’ Lurani, an Italian nobleman, engineer, racing driver, speed record holder, author, publisher and the Italian representative in the CSI (International Sporting Commission) of the FIA, the governing body for automobile sports. Like Piero Dusio before him, he saw the need for a new formula for affordable single-seater racing cars, allowing a new generation of drivers to gain experience. True or not, at the time some thought and even wrote that Lurani promoted his Formula Junior idea to compensate for the lack of success of Italian cars and drivers in the British dominated 500 cc. Formula 3. However, in October 1958 the FIA officially recognized the International Formula Junior.

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And How! Let the Imagination Run Free

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Photo Gallery by Dale LaFollette

Juxtaposition: to place two or more things together, especially in order to suggest a link between them or emphasize the contrast between them.

Of course one has to have two or more things in the first place, or as in the case with the Maserati gills, two items in one photo. Whichever, that’s where Dale LaFollette comes in. So often Dale has been our unsung hero, providing classic old photos for a variety of uses on VeloceToday. One the most popular such articles was the recent series on Bob Temple’s photos from Watkins Glen. But in addition to being the brains behind Vintage Motorphoto, LaFollette is also an excellent photographer in his own right, as we found out when he sent us his own stunning photos of racing from the 1970s. [Read more…] about And How! Let the Imagination Run Free

A Touch of Dante’s Genius Continues

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By Gijsbert-Paul Berk and friends
With over 30 color photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

Previously in a series of four installments, Gijsbert-Paul Berk covered the prewar beginnings of the Fiat 1100 in 1937 up to the introduction of the Nuovo 103 and the final Italian version, the 1100R which ceased production in 1969. A long and glorious history, to be sure.

But there is always more to this interesting story of one of Italy’s greatest cars. Initially, for this episode, we planned to show just a few of the special-bodied 1100s that graced the auto shows in the 1950s, such as the gorgeous Allemano, below. Then Hugues Vanhoolandt sent along a huge selection of Fiat 1100-based cars that also included many of the sports-racers which used 1100 components. The result is below. And bear with us, the story of a Touch of Dante’s Genius is not done yet! [Read more…] about A Touch of Dante’s Genius Continues

Vintage Racing at the Nurburgring

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Alessandro Gerelli captured the essence of the Oldtimer Grand Prix with this photo from 2004.

Photos by Alessandro Gerelli

Sending in his set of photos from this year’s Oldtimer Grand Prix (August 11-13), Alessandro Gerelli remarked, “I first attended this event 20 years ago, in 1997! I can’t believe how many years have gone by!” And, he tells us he has not missed a year since. [Read more…] about Vintage Racing at the Nurburgring

Rapid Advancements of the Horseless Carriage

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Story by Paul Wilson
Photos by Jonathan Sharp unless otherwise noted

When they were built, the ancient vehicles puffing and creaking their way every year from London to Brighton were called “horseless carriages.” Yet in an astonishingly short period–only really from 1899 through 1904–the most advanced cars outgrew the term, with dramatic functional and aesthetic development that erased their horse-drawn origins. Because the cars depart from Hyde Park in chronological order, earliest first, an amazing history lesson unfolds before us. But to understand it fully, we need to reconsider what “horseless” meant, to someone early in the last century. [Read more…] about Rapid Advancements of the Horseless Carriage

And How! Have Story, Need Photos

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Yes, Philippe Defechereux has completed Part 3 of the Traction Avant story and it is great! He was truly inspired while writing the heroic and sometimes evil aspects of the Traction Avant in World War II.

Alas, we have found no photos that are permissible or affordable to use. Good wartime photos are tied up by very expensive image sourcing companies.

We are hoping that someone in our readership may be able to find wartime snapshots of the T/A at war.

Lacking that, perhaps you might have some photos of the Free French T/As that are popular at events in France today. They’d work almost as well.

So, if you can help, let us know and contact me at vack@cox.net.

French Joy: 1928 Amilcar

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Story and photos by Pete Vack

They are charming, as only a French car can be. They are rare; only a few were ever made, a long, long time ago. They are almost totally useless, as many classics are. They are relatively slow and they are stiffly sprung, as a car made in the mid-twenties can often be. Most have no differential, so a locked rear end is a way of life. They have no weather protection, making them inadequate outside of California. Parts must be fabricated, not bought. No one knows what they are. [Read more…] about French Joy: 1928 Amilcar

A Touch of Dante’s Genius: 1100/103 to 1100 R

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The three versions of their Nuovo 1100: The Berlina, the Familiare and the more sporting TV (Turismo Veloce), recognizable by the extra lamp mounted in center of the radiator grill. Photo courtesy Fiat.

Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk and friends

In the continuing saga of the Fiat 1100, Gijsbert-Paul Berk presents the line of 1089 cc Fiats from the 1953 Nuovo 103 to the final variant, the 1969 1100 R.

Read Part 1
Read Part 2
Read Part 3

The postwar European economic boom created demand for workers in the industrialized triangle between the cities of Milan, Turin and Genoa. Around 9 million Italians moved from poor rural and mainly agricultural areas to find employment there. During those years, the Italian GPD grew with an average of 5.8% per year, very close to the German growth rate; the purchasing power of the population rose accordingly. [Read more…] about A Touch of Dante’s Genius: 1100/103 to 1100 R

Graham Gauld at Silverstone

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The car that caught my eye was this monster French Hotchkiss. Photo by Jonathan Sharp.

Story by Graham Gauld

You would think that after spending three and a half days at the Silverstone Classic, I would come up with a host of stories. But this year, I must confess, it was tough. This is not because there were no interesting cars; but I had arranged in advance various meetings with people who had written asking for help with books or articles they are writing, plus the usual problem of getting round the paddock without someone diverting my attention.

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The Unbelievable Gerin Aerodyne

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Almost there… but will the fabulous Gerin be ready for Amelia?

France, 1925: What has a mid-engined unit frame chassis, independent four wheel suspension with coil springs, OHV four cylinder engine with conical valve springs, four wheel brakes and an aerodynamic body with roll down windows?

Story by Eric Davison

Read about the Tampa Bay Auto Museum

In the first quarter of the 20th century, the French auto industry was leading the world with innovation. A great deal of that innovation appeared because a few of the better engineering minds of the time were convinced that there was a direct correlation between the automobile and the airplane.

Surely the Farman brothers, Gabriel Voisin and even Ettore Bugatti felt so. The Farman brothers started out with airplanes for which they were pioneers and innovators. Their cars were equally delightful. [Read more…] about The Unbelievable Gerin Aerodyne

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