VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

And How! 5-23: The Bob Temple Negatives

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And How! is a new regular feature in VeloceToday, just right for those stories which are too short or too little or news items that don’t qualify as full length articles.

Charles Chayne’s Cabriolet La Royale chassis 41121 at the end of the Press on Regardless Rally on August 6, 1950.

Over the next few weeks VeloceToday will present photographs by Bob Temple, coming to us via the collection of Vintage Motorphoto’s Dale LaFollette.

The photos are remarkable in themselves, portraits of cars and events that shaped the sports car movement in the U.S. during the post war years which include the Bugatti La Royale convertible when owned by Chayne. But they were particularly interesting for us, for the photos brought together an equally remarkable set of VeloceToday Contributors who each had story behind some of the images. [Read more…] about And How! 5-23: The Bob Temple Negatives

Build it, Sell it, Forget it. Then, 30 Years Later…

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Eno DePasquale with The Bomb at Lime Rock in 2014. He built the car in the eary 1960s, raced it, sold it, forgot about it. In 1990, The Bomb staged a comeback, having been rescued by its original creator. Photo by Sean Smith.

Story by Sean Smith
Historical photos courtesy the Eno DePasquale collection.

Eno DePasquale was a car guy from the word go. His father, a doctor, had a 1953 Jaguar XK120M that would occasionally see some late-night street racing at the hands of his son. Eno didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps; he wanted to work on cars, not people. His father would tell friends, “I think my son has gears going around in his head!”

In his high school years, with no formal training, Eno started to build cars for himself. He began by customizing a ‘36 Ford coupe, then moved on to a ‘32 three-window that he chopped, channeled, and built from the ground up. His final high school ride was a ‘40 Ford that he massaged into a custom machine.

Eno DePasquale in 1953 at age 16 with his 1936 Ford coupe that he customized.

[Read more…] about Build it, Sell it, Forget it. Then, 30 Years Later…

1957 Ferrari Transporter in 1/18 and 1/43 Scale

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1957 Fiat 642 RN2, Bartoletti, Ferrari Race Car Transporter by CMC.

What our readers said about this article, first published on November 30, 2011.

Roberto Prescelli: What can I say but GREAT
Nigel Miller: A ‘Transport of Delight’ – what an absolute stunner!
Paul Evans: Stunning, just stunning
Paul Turney: A truly wonderful model,looks like one can jump in and drive off!
Kenny Lombino: I had pre-ordered it over a year ago. I am happy to say it is on a UPS truck to me as I write this along with three CMC racing Ferraris to place on or around the transporter.
Jeff Downer : Extraordinary! Looks nicer than the real one they had at Monterey. Well done.
F. Biba: I can only hope that CMC doesn’t make a model for Alfa Romeo’s transporter. Off hand I can’t think what it looked like, but I’d have to get one in any event. And, geeze, three Alfa Formula 1 cars.
H. Almazan: Is there a way the transport comes in a model form so I could build it, I have been building models for over 25 years and enjoys the Revival models kit and would like to build a transport car.

Story and photos by Marshall Buck

I’m not sure exactly what it is, but there is something hypnotically attractive about vintage racing car transporters. I’m talking about the kind from the 1930s through the 1960s. Just like the rare competition cars they carry, old race transporters draw crowds anywhere they park. Especially the vintage European kind, of which there have been so very many types, configurations, and manufacturers of. Numerous magazine articles have been written, and even a couple of books have been published on them.

Old race transporters appear to be one of the next phases of collector vehicles within the vintage race car community. They are the “in” thing, and they are very cool. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someday in the future, you find a special showing of these at one of the premier concours. Stranger things have happened.

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Getting Interested in Motorcycles

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At the Quail, plenty of Italian – and French Motorcycles to excite.

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by David Fetherston unless otherwise noted
Read Part 1

Question: Are you optimistic about the future of the motorcycle?
Answer: “There’s a real romance to motorcycling, and this is always recognized by a certain type of individual who values adventure above security and comfort. Luckily, every generation seems to produce a surprising number of these people.” – Peter Egan
“The perfect man? A poet on a motorcycle.” – Lucinda Williams [Read more…] about Getting Interested in Motorcycles

VeloceToday for May 16, 2017

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Graham Gauld recalls Fangio at Modena; Brandes Elitch at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering; Philippe Defechereux previews the Bastille Day French Car Rally; Jonathan Sharp picks his favorites at the Brooklands Italian Car Day.

Brooklands Italian Car Day, April 29, 2017

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The Brooklands Memorial stands behind this Fiat 850 Coupe. Built by Vickers Armstrong to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Motor Course, it was unveiled by Lord Brabazon of Tara in July 1957.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

This is the fifth year in a row that Jonathan Sharp has covered the Italian Car Day at Brooklands. And despite the narrow focus, there are very few repeats, as can be seen by Sharp’s photo selections over the years.

2013
2014
2015
2016

As Pete has said, I have covered the Italian Car Day at Brooklands for VeloceToday for the past 5 years but I have been attending the Italian Car Day in its various guises and locations for over 30 years. This year, as usual, Brooklands was groaning under the weight of Italian cars. But there seemed to be a higher percentage of newer cars, which would seem to indicate to me that those who currently buy new Italian cars also embrace the Italian life style and motoring heritage. Walking around the site I kept coming upon cars that I once owned, or have wanted to own – and I am not talking about the Ferraris and Lamborghini’s that were present in reasonable numbers. I get more of a buzz coming across an immaculate Alfa Sud or a Fiat 130 than I do finding a paddock full of 458’s and Aventadores. And, therefore, it is those types of cars that we present in this article.

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Bastille Day Annual French Car Rally and Rendez-Vous Preview

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Festive caravan of vintage French autos going round Columbus Circle. The “Bastille Day” Celebration in NYC!

Story by Philippe H. Defechereux © 2017

The One Day Every Year When French Unicorns Run Free in New York City Streets

To certain onlookers, they may briefly evoke unicorns, except that their outer surface is often quite colorful and their one horn is inside the car. To hear most New Yorkers who catch a good glimpse, they look more like UFOs on wheels. But not to the numerous French car aficionados, expats or tourists on a visit from France. For them the strange vehicles are quite familiar and a propitious apparition to behold. [Read more…] about Bastille Day Annual French Car Rally and Rendez-Vous Preview

The Quail Motorcycle Gathering 2017

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1957 Mondial GP is the author’s first focus bike.

Story by Brandes Elitch, photos by David Fetherston

On May 6, about 3000 motorcycle enthusiasts gathered at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California for the 9th annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering. Carmel Valley is a surprisingly rustic and rural stretch of road that runs from Carmel Village on the bay to Salinas inland. The program states that “what began as a small gathering of enthusiasts has grown into one of the premier celebrations of motorcycling in the country,” and this is an understatement. There may be other “events” such as Daytona Bike Week, but there is no other motorcycle show like this or anything close, anywhere in the country. On the green in back of the Lodge were about 350 motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles, with a special tribute to 50th anniversary of the Norton Commando. [Read more…] about The Quail Motorcycle Gathering 2017

Fangio, Suixtil and Modena, 1957

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At Modena in 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio, shows Maserati chief engineer Giulio Alfieri, in jacket shirt and tie, and Swiss journalist Hans Tanner, back to camera, his bandaged wrist. Fangio would bring attention to a line of racing suits from an Argentinean-based company named Suixtil.

Story and photos by Graham Gauld unless otherwise noted

European motor racing in the years immediately following World War II tended to be a strictly European affair; that is until the arrival of the great Juan Manuel Fangio in 1948. Unlike Europe, where there was a war to contend with, young Fangio learned his motor racing craft in the wild and dangerous racing in Argentina in the 1930s and 1940s.

He proved to be not only a tough competitor but also a winner. Who better to be an ambassador for the Salomon Rudman’s Argentinean-based Suixtil company’s entry into the area of motor racing? Rudman’s enthusiasm for motor racing saw him produce clothing, which would not only be stylish but also comfortable. He took advice from his motor racing friends like Fangio as to design and functionality. [Read more…] about Fangio, Suixtil and Modena, 1957

VeloceToday for May 9, 2017

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Five fascinating stories this week: Peter Darnall on Bira’s big day; Jonathan Sharp trackside at Silverstone; Graham Gauld remembers Sir John Whitmore; Pete Vack on Hugus’ Ferraris; Gijsbert-Paul Berk on Farman automobiles.

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The Day of the White Mouse

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By Peter Darnall

Saturday, May 6, 1939 – Brooklands Motor Circuit, England

Imagine sitting in a race car on the starting line for the JCC International Trophy event. That fellow in the old Maserati beside you looks completely out of place. He is a small man–so small that he is sitting on a large cushion to be able to see out over the cowling. He looks like a jockey in his flamboyant silk driving suit. Everybody was talking about the Maserati since it had been unloaded from the transporter in the paddock. The car was decked out in light blue livery with yellow chassis rails and wheels—a bit overdone by conservative Brooklands “the right crowd and no crowding” standards. The white mouse insignia on the cowl is familiar but the flag painted on the tail is a mystery. [Read more…] about The Day of the White Mouse

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