VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Shakeup for Laguna’s Sixtieth Anniversary

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“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.

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Transatlantic Style at the Blackhawk

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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

Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti is 70

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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

A Touch of Dante’s Genius: The Cisitalia

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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.

Read Part 1

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

Heveningham Hall Concours of Elegance

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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

Sandy Leith and the Scrambling Egg Bugatti

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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

Bill Pollack, 1925-2017: An Appreciation

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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

VeloceToday for July 18, 2017

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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! Cisitalia at the MOMA

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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

The First Modern Mass-Produced Automobile

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Photo by Jonathan Sharp

The Remarkable Story and Saga of André Citroën and his
Breakthrough Traction-Avant

By Philippe H. Defechereux © 2017

Traction-Avant-Guarde!

Following our introductory piece about André Citroën and the first two years of his remarkable Traction-Avant (1934-1935), now is the perfect time to examine and wonder at the car’s thoroughly revolutionary character. In this article, we’ll list all the existing or innovative technologies Citroën and his team brilliantly and harmoniously brought together in order to create what can only be called “the first modern mass-produced automobile.”

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Jonathan Sharp’s Goodwood: The Drivers

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Cars in the life of Bernie Ecclestone.To celebrate the five ages of Bernie, 70 tons of steel, 600 bolts, 400 liters of undercoat/ primer and 100 liters of top coat. Gerry Judah’s central feature this year contained a Connaught to mark Bernie’s days as a driver, Jochan Rindt’s Lotus 72 as a manager, a Brabham BT49 as a team owner, a Ferrari F2001 for his time as a deal maker, and Nico Rosberg’s 2016 Mercedes W07 to mark the legend that is Bernie.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, I spend a lot of time in the assembly area as it has such a nice atmosphere. The drivers tend to greet each other as old friends. You will usually catch one or two of them taking photos of the cars, or selfies for themselves. You do need eyes in the back of your head though, as whilst you are using your pointy elbows to get a shot of a driver at one end of the paddock another star will have arrived at the other end, but it’s all good exercise for me. [Read more…] about Jonathan Sharp’s Goodwood: The Drivers

Jonathan Sharp’s Goodwood: The Cars

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Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

I have been going to the Festival of Speed for at least the past 15 years if not more, and the event still manages to surprise me with the cars they are able to entice out of the woodwork. Each year there will be cars and items I have seen before, many of them will be old favorites, some that maybe you have not have seen for a few years. But lurking in a pit garage or arriving in the assembly area will always be something you have not seen before.

The organizers also try harder. Take, for example, the selection of DFV powered cars chosen to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Double Four Valve. Not just a selection of Lotus, Williams, McLaren etc., but at least 5 Lotus 49s as well as the Eifelland Coswoth E21 and the unique 1972 Connew PC1, which was built by Peter Connew in his single car garage next to his house. The Maranello’s Masterpiece Class of Ferrari 250s in the Cartier Style et Luxe concours contained a GTO and a SWB, but also the Bertone-bodied 250 known as the Shark nose. In the Aston Martin class was the Bertone Jet and the Ogle Sotherby’s special. For the cheeky Cinquecento clas,s the Zagato Zanzara, a Ghia Jolly and a Necker Weinsberg Coupe. They just don’t quit. Below are these and many more. [Read more…] about Jonathan Sharp’s Goodwood: The Cars

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