By Pete Vack
Carsyeah gave the editor a chance to chat about Mary, whose photos enabled him to get his articles published. Photo by Jesse Alexander
CarsYeah: Interviews With People You Know
Touring, BMW, Victress: Designs Across Continents
How the BWM and Italian coachbuilder Touring influenced the Victress and Glasspar.
This week we take you to Geoffrey Hacker’s site, Forgotten Fiberglass.com, to review an article we know many of or readers would find interesting. [Ed.]
By Geoffrey Hacker
Designs That Influenced The Styling Of The Victress S1 And Glasspar G2: The 1939/1940 BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster
What is the styling heritage of each of the vintage fiberglass cars we are familiar with?
I think this is an important question when trying to understand the place our cars occupy in history – not just in the manner in which they were built but also in the ways each of these cars were styled. [Read more…] about Touring, BMW, Victress: Designs Across Continents
VeloceToday for November 4, 2014
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Alfa Romeo Giulietta Instruction Book.
DIAS Public No. 780 10/61 (15.000). Incredible, excellent condition, 14 pages with FOUR fold out wiring diagrams for the Berlina, TI, Spider and Spider Veloce. No water marks, rips or tears; you will NOT find one in better condition! This book covers the rare Berlina, the Berlina TI and the Spider and Spider Veloce for the U.S. market. $400 or best offer. Click here to see details.
Contact:vack@cox.net
Four issues of Auto Aficionado, the automobile collector’s magazine edited by Larry Crane, including the initial three issues. Only sold together $80 plus $20 postage from France via paypal. Volume 1 No 1 March/April 2005, Volume 1 No 2 May-June 2005, Volume 1 No 3 Sept/Oct 2005, Volume 2 No 1 Jan/Feb 2006. Contact:Grahamgauld@Gmail.com
SOLD!! Alfa 1600 Sprint and Spider Instruction Book. Public no. 838-12/1963 (1500) R. Original, excellent to mint condition; spine is not broken, appears as new. Slight fraying on edge of Electrical diagram where it protrudes from the edge of the book. 80 pages, printed for US market cars. SS instruction book sold for $400; looking for best offer over $300. Click photo to see larger image. 1600 Giulia TI instruction book also available, good condition.
Contact:vack@cox.net
Three volume classic, “The Grand Prix Car” by Laurence Pomeroy and LJK Setright. 1200+pp The history, theory, design , details and performance of all the important GP cars from the turn of the century through 1966. Hundreds of extraordinary technical drawings, charts, spec tables and racing results. Condition: excellent used, no marks beyond owner name Price $850 plus shipping(weight 12.5 lbs) Contact stevegurr@charter.net
*$25 Ads for anyone who has something to sell, to giveaway, or to holler about. Ad will be placed above the fold and run for one month. Contact vack@cox.net .
Maserati at Enzo Ferrari
The Enzo Ferrari Museum celebrates Maserati's 100th years.
By Jonathan Sharp
Last winter, VeloceToday correspondent Jonathan Sharp left the British Isles to vacation in Italy and brought back absolutely stunning photo journey through the old Lingotto factory and the new Museo dell’ Automobile in Turin. He has just returned from yet another Italian Interlude, and a visit to the Enzo Ferrari Museum, our first of several features is presented this week. More to follow and CLICK on PHOTOS to ENLARGE! [Read more…] about Maserati at Enzo Ferrari
Ludvigsen Tests the Birdcage
Photo by Irv Dolin
What was it like to drive a Birdcage in 1961? Below, Karl Ludvigsen graphically describes the feel, the noise, and the technique of driving the Magnificent Front Engined Birdcage. This article, originally published in the April 1961 issue of “Car and Driver”, has been republished here with his express permission. Originally published in VeloceToday on November 4 2009.
By Karl Ludvigsen
When you click home the ignition key on the sketchy dash of a Birdcage, a strong red light burns deep within the broad, thumb-sized starter button. To me that light became a symbol of the vast power lurking with this apparently ramshackle piece of machinery, like glowing coals in the crater of a slumbering volcano.
If you’re not already familiar with the Maserati Tipo 61, better known as the Birdcage, be informed by a glance a the accompanying cutaway or at the Tech Report in SCI, April 1960. Its designer, Ing. Alfieri, broke with all the Italian traditions of chassis design and trimmed to a remarkable minimum, a step made possible bit the increasing significance of short, smooth course American races and the decreasing stature of great sports car classics like the Mille Miglia and Tourist Trophy. Only the Targa Florio remains to separate the Birdcages and Lotus Nineteens from real road going automobiles. [Read more…] about Ludvigsen Tests the Birdcage
VeloceToday for October 28, 2014
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Alfa Romeo Giulietta Instruction Book.
DIAS Public No. 780 10/61 (15.000). Incredible, excellent condition, 14 pages with FOUR fold out wiring diagrams for the Berlina, TI, Spider and Spider Veloce. No water marks, rips or tears; you will NOT find one in better condition! This book covers the rare Berlina, the Berlina TI and the Spider and Spider Veloce for the U.S. market. $400 or best offer. Click here to see details.
Contact:vack@cox.net
Four issues of Auto Aficionado, the automobile collector’s magazine edited by Larry Crane, including the initial three issues. Only sold together $80 plus $20 postage from France via paypal. Volume 1 No 1 March/April 2005, Volume 1 No 2 May-June 2005, Volume 1 No 3 Sept/Oct 2005, Volume 2 No 1 Jan/Feb 2006. Contact:Grahamgauld@Gmail.com
SOLD!! Alfa 1600 Sprint and Spider Instruction Book. Public no. 838-12/1963 (1500) R. Original, excellent to mint condition; spine is not broken, appears as new. Slight fraying on edge of Electrical diagram where it protrudes from the edge of the book. 80 pages, printed for US market cars. SS instruction book sold for $400; looking for best offer over $300. Click photo to see larger image. 1600 Giulia TI instruction book also available, good condition.
Contact:vack@cox.net
Three volume classic, “The Grand Prix Car” by Laurence Pomeroy and LJK Setright. 1200+pp The history, theory, design , details and performance of all the important GP cars from the turn of the century through 1966. Hundreds of extraordinary technical drawings, charts, spec tables and racing results. Condition: excellent used, no marks beyond owner name Price $850 plus shipping(weight 12.5 lbs) Contact stevegurr@charter.net
*$25 Ads for anyone who has something to sell, to giveaway, or to holler about. Ad will be placed above the fold and run for one month. Contact vack@cox.net .
A Visit to the Maserati Factory, 1963
And what have we here? The Maserati factory circa 1963 was full of surprises.
This week we feature the first of four visits to the Maserati factory. Next week, Graham Gauld recalls the works in the years 1957, 1958 and 1960, while this week, VeloceToday reader David Hewitt ads his impressions of his time in Europe in 1963, and a visit to Maserati.
While trying to identify the cars in Hewitt’s photos, we stumbled across two rare and interesting cars once owned by John Simone, head of Maserati-France. But before we get that, David’s photos of the Nurburgring are equally fascinating and all in color!
Photos courtesy David Hewitt unless otherwise noted.
Text by Pete Vack and David Hewitt
David Hewitt’s father was an Air Force pilot stationed in Europe from 1960 to 1964. Hewitt was only 15 when his family lived in France for the first year and Germany for the remaining years. Hewitt recalls those years: [Read more…] about A Visit to the Maserati Factory, 1963
Automedon Meeting and Exhibition, Paris
D.B coupè SERA by Jacques Durand, 1960
Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
AUTOMEDON MEETING AND EXHIBITION (PARIS OCTOBER 18th-19th) In addition to the traditional Paris Salon, during the weekend of October 18th, the Automedon old car event was held in the Bourget exhibition center near Paris, with many owner clubs and many spare parts dealers present
But what was really impressive to me, is the huge and incredible number of old car owners coming to Bourget to visit the event and show their cars in the parking areas. You can find very rare and old cars, but mainly more production cars like Citroen, Renault and Peugeot of the 50s and 60s.
In the hall there was a very important and interesting show of D.B cars: D.B is a French make, the result from the meeting of Charles Deutsch and Rene Bonnet producing excellent small sport cars till the early 60s, based mainly on Panhard engines. [Read more…] about Automedon Meeting and Exhibition, Paris
L’Automobile & La Mode, Paris, 2014
Alfa Romeo Carabo by Gandini & Bertone
Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
MONDIAL DE L’ AUTOMOBILE, October 4-19 2014
In one of the many halls of the show, a different exhibition took place called “L’Automobile & la mode” (“Cars and fashion”), showing many cars of different periods together with pictures of dresses. The cars were really a surprise for their variety and importance, few of them designed by or for fashion masters.
To see the new cars at this year’s show, click here: https://velocetoday.com/mondial-de-lautomobile-paris-2014/ [Read more…] about L’Automobile & La Mode, Paris, 2014
Mondial de L’Automobile, Paris 2014
The racing version of the Alfa 4C
Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
MONDIAL DE L’ AUTOMOBILE, October 4-19 2014 The car exhibition in Paris was a great success with an incredible number of visitors and, of course, all the car manufacturers present with many new models.
For VeloceToday, have limited my photo report to the most important Italian makes plus a few of other cars with bodies designed by Italian coach builders. In addition to all the new cars, there was another hall featuring cars and fashions over the ages, click here to see those photos. https://velocetoday.com/paris-2014/ [Read more…] about Mondial de L’Automobile, Paris 2014
VeloceToday for October 21, 2014
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Four issues of Auto Aficionado, the automobile collector’s magazine edited by Larry Crane, including the initial three issues. Only sold together $80 plus $20 postage from France via paypal. Volume 1 No 1 March/April 2005, Volume 1 No 2 May-June 2005, Volume 1 No 3 Sept/Oct 2005, Volume 2 No 1 Jan/Feb 2006. Contact:Grahamgauld@Gmail.com
Alfa 1600 Sprint and Spider Instruction Book. Public no. 838-12/1963 (1500) R. Original, excellent to mint condition; spine is not broken, appears as new. Slight fraying on edge of Electrical diagram where it protrudes from the edge of the book. 80 pages, printed for US market cars. SS instruction book sold for $400; looking for best offer over $300. Click photo to see larger image. 1600 Giulia TI instruction book also available, good condition.
Contact:vack@cox.net
Join the Rat Pack! Stunningly restored Ghia L 6.4 coupe for sale. Ninth of only 26 made; full, authentic, accurate restoration. Beautiful black exterior with black and white interior, as featured in the original factory sales brochure! Please see www.GhiaL64.com for details or contact John Huggins at GhiaL6.4@gmail.com
Three volume classic, “The Grand Prix Car” by Laurence Pomeroy and LJK Setright. 1200+pp The history, theory, design , details and performance of all the important GP cars from the turn of the century through 1966. Hundreds of extraordinary technical drawings, charts, spec tables and racing results. Condition: excellent used, no marks beyond owner name Price $850 plus shipping(weight 12.5 lbs) Contact stevegurr@charter.net
*$25 Ads for anyone who has something to sell, to giveaway, or to holler about. Ad will be placed above the fold and run for one month. Contact vack@cox.net .
Scuderia Ambrosiana
The writer’s first meeting with Scuderia Ambrosiana was at Charterhall in Scotland in 1952. The photo shows David Murray’s Scuderia Ambrosiana badged Ferrari F2 car that was to be driven by Bill Dobson. The distinctive Scuderia Ambrosiana badge can be seen just ahead of the rear view mirror whilst chief mechanic Wilkie Wilkinson is at the wheel.
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
Most people interested in Italian motor racing will no doubt have heard of Scuderia Ambrosiana, originally founded by Count “Johnny” Lurani back in 1936 but probably know little else about it. [Read more…] about Scuderia Ambrosiana