The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Quiet a contrast to the front running Listers and Jaguar D Types is Brian Palmer’s 1963 Lotus XI.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Looking at the sparsely-seated grandstands in some of the shots below, you would think the Silverstone Classic was nearly empty, believe me it was not. Over the three day weekend (July 28-30) over 100,000, people trod on these hallowed grounds. There is so much so see and do the races, all 22 of them, can become just another attraction to be enjoyed.
One of the Editor’s favorite images; Frank Shaffer took this photo of Tony Pompeo’s Fiat 1100S at Watkins Glen in 1949.
Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk and friends
Fiat 1100S
While Pierre Dusio was making a huge impact with his 1100 Fiat-powered Cisitalias, back at Fiat they weren’t idle and eager to return to some normalcy. As early as 1947 the Fiat 1100 S sports coupe made its appearance and was an immediate success, both in term of sales and results. Its shape was somehow reminiscent of its predecessor, the 1938 MM. With a maximum height of 1 m, 35 cm it was 1 cm higher than the pre-war car, but still much lower than the saloon, which measured 1 m 51cm. The compression ratio of the 1089 cc. four cylinder was raised to 7.5 : 1 and the S engine delivered 51 HP at 5200 rpm. With a dry weight of just 818 kg (1803 lbs.) this made an acceleration of 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) in. 21.5 sec possible and a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph). Of course, many lucky owners participated in the Mille Miglia and other competitions. [Read more…] about A Touch of Dante’s Genius: The 1100S, E and ES
Pebble Beach 1952. Bill Pollack is about to win first overall in the most famous Cad-Allard of West-Coast sports car racing – here he’s about to pass Sam Weiss in the XK-120. The cars have just turned onto the main or pit straight and are coming out of a slight left hand bend. From here it is full throttle for a moment or two and then a very high speed bend just past the pits and a hard stop for a 90° right hand turn. Credit corsa@corsaresearch.com
Last week we published a tribute to the late Bill Pollack, and following that we received more interesting photos and comments, which deserve to be published as well. Ergo, here is a bit more about Bill Pollack with some rare images. But first, a few comments from our readers: [Read more…] about And How! More on Bill Pollack
“Laguna Seca is sacred ground.”
Richard Varner, CFO, MotoAmerica
Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
As Laguna Seca is about to celebrate their Sixtieth Anniversary, there are major political developments within the management of the facility that appear to give Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP) a three-year contract to manage the raceway.
And that’s important, for the health of Laguna Seca depends a great deal on the continued support of vintage car racing during the week. And, while there are a few dozen historic car races worldwide, arguably, after sixty years of hosting vintage car racing, the track at Laguna Seca has more history than any other similar venue in the U.S.
Review by Pete Vack
This year, the Blackhawk Museum in Danville California, along with the Museo Dell’Automobile di Torino, collaborated on a presentation of postwar classic automobiles that depict the crossroads of American and Italian design in the 1950s and 60s.
Correspondent Brandes Elitch has previously written about the exhibit at the Museo Dell’ Automobile di Torino (read review), which ran until June 25th. Now, it is Blackhawk’s turn to look at the fascinating subject of Italian and American automotive design in the postwar period. The Blackhawk’s exhibit is “A Romance of Fins and Chrome,” or subtitled, “Jet-age Cars that Forever Changed Modern Automotive Design.” It opened on June 8 and will run through September 30. Anyone going to the Monterey Car week is well advised to attend this fantastic display of Italian, and American cars. [Read more…] about Transatlantic Style at the Blackhawk
Fiat 508 spider sport 1932: the winner of 2017 event.
By Alessandro Gerelli
Alessandro Gerelli began attending the famous Coppa d’Oro events in the 1980s, when the first retro events were organized. He first reported on the event for VeloceToday 15 years ago in 2002, shortly after we began publishing weekly. Since then he has attended thirteen times, right up to this year’s edition. [Read more…] about Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti is 70
Cisitalia is the acronym of “Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italia”, the official name of the conglomerate of Piero Dusio’s business ventures. The logo, a stylistic Alpine goat (Capra ibex), was also an idea of Dusio, because these animals are reputed for their courage, speed and agility. The colors he chose – blue and gold – are those of the city of Turin. At right, the first batch of the Cisitalia D46 racing cars.
Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk
The name Cisitalia is inseparably linked to that of Piero Dusio. This Turinese sportsman, racing driver and entrepreneur was president of Juventus, Turin´s successful football (soccer) club and founder of the Scuderia Torino. His business enterprises were registered as Consorzio Industriale Sportivo Italia. Indeed: CISItalia! The business conglomerate included textile mills, a trading house, a bank, many hotels, sportswear manufacturing and bicycles. [Read more…] about A Touch of Dante’s Genius: The Cisitalia
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
It’s lunch time on the Sunday and I am sitting on a straw bail near the lake on the Heveningham Hall Estate deep in the heart of Suffolk. In front of me is a small display ring where several retriever dogs are being put through the paces, each dog happily diving into the water reeds to retrieve the object thrown for them. An inshore F1 racing power boat is giving high speed rides on the lake, its four stroke engine making an impressive noise which can probably be heard several miles away. To my right is a display of vintage tractors and to my left in the big parade ring several Shire Horses with carts are being displayed to the crowd. Above my head a MK9 Spitfire is engaging in a mock dog fight with an ME109 (Actually its an Hispano Buchan but its close enough) and lined up on the immaculate terraced lawn of Heveningham Hall directly behind me are 50 of the worlds rarest cars. Behind the terraces and close to the orangery is a small collection of classic 1930s aeroplanes that have entered into the new Aviation concours. They are lined up by the trees at one end of a small grass airstrip and at the other end of the strip are parked several dozen visiting aircraft. [Read more…] about Heveningham Hall Concours of Elegance
In 1935 George Rand installed a Ford Model B engine into this Bugatti T37. 82 years later it is still there. Sean Smith photo.
Story by Sean Smith
Color images taken at Lime Rock by Sean Smith
Historic photos courtesy Sandy Leith
If anyone was born to the VSCCA it is the current President, Sandy Leith—his father Bill Leith was a founding member. At a very young age Sandy was in the paddock watching his father race his Type 35B Bugatti against others in the fledgling club. Formed in 1958, the Vintage Sports Car Club of America was seen as a kinder, gentler version of the growing Sports Car Club of America. It was a place where their pre-war cars could shine. Then as now it was a place for racing, rallying and good old fashion socializing, but the prime focus was racing. “Isn’t this what all parents do on the weekend… zoom around in old race cars?” Sandy thought so! Classic cars, especially Bugattis, were ingrained in Sandy’s soul. At 17, there would be no snarling muscle car or modern sports car for him. [Read more…] about Sandy Leith and the Scrambling Egg Bugatti
Pebble Beach, 1956. Bill Pollack in the Stovebolt Chevy HWM leads Phil Hill in a Ferrari 860, Ernie McAfee in a Ferrari 121LM, then the Jag D-Type of Pierce Woods, Bill Murphy’s Kurtis 500X, and the Aston of Jack Graham. Photo by Jim Sitz.
West Coast racer Bill Pollack passed away at the age of 92 on July 16. Our thanks to Jim Sitz, Michael Lynch, Allen Kuhn, William Edgar and Willem Oosthoek for their help with this article. [Read more…] about Bill Pollack, 1925-2017: An Appreciation
Previously unpublished photos of the Cisitalia 202 at MOMA; you won’t believe your eyes! Jonathan Sharp’s look at the cars and drivers at Goodwood; Is the Citroën TA really the first modern mass produced car in Europe? You be the judge.
And How! features open and innovative formats for notices, articles and posts.
The Cisitalia number 042 at the MOMA exhibition in 1951. It had just come out of the body shop where “…most dents were removed before the body was sprayed a light metallic blue…”. We might submit that they missed a few here and there!
Could this really be the MOMA Cisitalia?
Story by Pete Vack
Photos by Jerry Lehrer
Over the years there has been a great deal of press concerning the “8 Automobiles” show at the Museum Of Modern Art held from August 29th to November 11, 1951 in New York. It was, after all, the “first exhibit anywhere of dealing with the aesthetics of automobile design.” The star of the show was the Cisitalia 202, and we have heard much about that as well. In fact, next week we’ll publish Gijsbert-Paul Berk’s chapter on the Fiat 1100, Dante Giacosa and the now-immortal Cisitalia so this is an opportune time to comment on the big show itself.
But, does anyone remember seeing what the fabled and famous Cisitalia looked like as it appeared at the automotive exhibition of the century? Fortunately, photographer Jerry Lehrer was there, and took these amazing and previously unpublished photos of the Cisitalia as it was being set up in the Museum of Modern Art.
When we first saw the photos, we couldn’t believe our eyes. [Read more…] about And How! Cisitalia at the MOMA