The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
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Listen up now…VeloceToday is undergoing an upgrade as well as coming up with a new and (of course) exciting homepage. During the month of April there may not be a normally scheduled Tuesday edition of VeloceToday. Do not fear if you don’t get your weekly fix or if you see glitches on the homepage.
We are on it.
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The unusual Cisi Ford..no match for the classic 202. Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.
By Brandes Elitch
A few years ago, the organizers of the Pebble Beach concours, in an effort to dispel the image of the entrants as so called trailer queens, initiated a drive for the entrants around the Monterey Peninsula.
In the event of a tie in class, the car that has completed the drive gets the nod in the judging. As part of this procession, the cars are parked in downtown Carmel for a few hours in the middle of the day, and in the middle of the street, for everyone to see. As I was threading my way through them, I saw something I had never seen before. It was obviously an early fifties car, obviously Italian, and the script said “Cisitalia.” I approached the owner, Urs Jakob, and said, “I’ve never seen a Cisitalia this big before,” he replied. “This isn’t a Cisitalia; it’s a Ford!” Boy, was that a shock.
Interior is similar to the early Corvettes. Photo by Brandes Elitch.
He went on to explain that in the early 1950’s, Ford was considering the idea of what we now call a personal luxury car, which later became, of course, the two-seater Thunderbird. Keep in mind that, unlike GM and Chrysler, up until then, Ford did not really have any dream cars except the three cars made for Edsel Ford for his own personal use, which were never displayed for the public to see. In the early 1950s, Ford commissioned the building of six prototypes: two were bodied by Ghia, and four by Vignale, including Mr. Jakob’s car. Ford shipped 6 stock Ford chassis to Vignale; this particular car had a straight six, some of the others had the V-8. The current owner told me that he owns two of the cars, and he is hot on the trail of a third.
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Listen up now…VeloceToday is undergoing an upgrade as well as coming up with a new and (of course) exciting homepage. During the month of April there may not be a normally scheduled Tuesday edition of VeloceToday. Do not fear if you don’t get your weekly fix. We’ll be back bigger than ever.
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FOR SALE! Style Auto duplicates: Numbers available are:
1,2,4,5,8,9,10,12,13,14,17,21,22,24,25,26,27,30,31,32,33,36,37. Most have English text, (4,14,27,33 are in Italian.) 1, 2 printed in (IT/EN). 1,2,27 are hard cover. Nice condition, #1 has a few loose pages but is complete; dust jacket on 2 70% complete. £495 GBP/$750 plus shipping Contact:willgrant@yahoo.co.uk
*$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 .
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Above: Posing with the Harry Jones Moretti are (left-to-right) Viola Jones, Pat McAfee (then wife of Jack McAfee), and Vi’s husband Harry Jones. Santa Barbara paddock, September 1954. Photo: John Edgar, Edgar Motorsport Archive
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By Pete Vack
From the Archives of VeloceToday
Thanks to Peter Vanlaw, William Edgar, Alex Vazeos, Rex McAfee, Cliff Reuter, John de Boer, Karl Ludvigsen and Cindy Meitle.
Road & Track, August 1954. The color photo is by photographer and journalist Bob Rolofson; the car, a Moretti Gran Sport—the archetypical “Baby Ferrari”. No doubt many more people saw this photo than would ever lay eyes on the actual car itself; few subjected to the cover photo or the reality would likely soon forget the sight. Even today, the car stirs the imagination.
There might be ten or twenty of these 748cc Michelotti-designed “Gran Sport” Morettis around. John de Boer lists ten known berlinettas (Gran Sport) but emphatically states that the list is far from complete and is constantly updated and there may well be only eight in existence today. Two are very well known and have clear provenances… chassis 1293s (ex-Ludvigsen) and 1294s (now owned by Alex Vazeos), and a third the Road & Track cover car, is featured here for the first time in competition.
Saving the Gran Sports
Karl Ludvigsen at the Mille Miglia in 1998 with Moretti GS#1293s. He found, restored and cared for the car for twenty years before selling it to Larry Auriana in 1998.
A 1949 Pourtout Delahaye is now part of the Louwman collection in The Hague Netherlands. Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.
By Gijsbert-Paul Berk
Of our Three Musketeers, only two survived the war. But despite all odds, both Pourtout and Darl’mat continued to create interesting designs well into the 1950s.
Georges Paulin and the Resistance
While it was sad that the Rolls-Royce Paulin Corniche was destroyed at Dieppe, even more tragic is the fact that Georges Paulin did not survive the war. After Hitler’s troops marched into Paris, Paulin joined the French resistance group Albi, which supplied information to British Intelligence. He produced drawings of German installations and armament and transmitted information using a clandestine radio transmitter. Sadly the activities of the Albi cell were betrayed by people working within the Vichy government for the Deuxième Bureau (the French Military Intelligence Service) to the Abwehr (the German Military Intelligence Service). Georges Paulin, Jacques Kellner, a famous Parisian carrossier and president of the French Coachbuilders Association and Roger Raven, a friend of Paulin who worked at Carrosserie Pourtout and was also part of the Albi resistance group, were arrested and sentenced to death by a German Military Tribunal. Paulin was nearly 40 years old; when on 21 March 1942 he was executed by a firing squad at the fortress of Mount Valérien. In 1944 the government of Charles de Gaulle posthumously awarded Georges Paulin the Medaulle Militaire et Citation à l’Ordre de l’Armée.
Pourtout in the post-war era
During the occupation Carrosserie Pourtout was confiscated by the Germans, who used its workshops and painting facilities to repair army vehicles. When the American troops and the 2nd Armored Division of the Free French army under Général Leclerc advanced to liberate Paris, the retreating German army badly damaged and plundered the buildings. Nearly all the equipment had disappeared.
Because of their reputation with series production Carrosserie Pourtout was commissioned by the French importer of the American Graham-Page cars to convert a number of their ’Sharknose’ business coupés into elegant cabriolets. According to Claude Pourtout a few of these cars were re-exported to the US.
By Roberto Motta
Photos by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles press archive and GGRM archive
Read the history of the X1/9 Prototipos
Read X1/9 Prototipos Today
Characterized by taut lines, and equipped with the engine and various mechanical components taken from the 128 sedan, the Fiat X1/9 was, and remains, a dream car.
The “X1/9” was part of a design series designation that began with the Fiat 128, which was the “X1/1”. The X1/9 was the first ‘Targa’ car produced by FIAT and Bertone.
From the 1965 to 1968, with the Bertone’s help, Fiat produced a low-priced sports car, the 850 Spider.
In the past, it was been a normal Fiat practice to realize an highly-tuned Spider versions of its standard sedans; for example the 1100 TV (in the mid 1950s), the 1200 and 1500 Roadster (in the early 1960s) or, from 1969, the 124 Spider. During the 1965, with the Bertone’s help, Fiat produced also a low-priced car, the little 850 Spider. This Spider was a great commercial success, helping cement the relationship between Bertone and Fiat.
[Read more…] about Fiat’s X1/9: The 1300 and 1500 Street Cars
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FOR SALE! Style Auto duplicates: Numbers available are:
1,2,4,5,8,9,10,12,13,14,17,21,22,24,25,26,27,30,31,32,33,36,37. Most have English text, (4,14,27,33 are in Italian.) 1, 2 printed in (IT/EN). 1,2,27 are hard cover. Nice condition, #1 has a few loose pages but is complete; dust jacket on 2 70% complete. £495 GBP/$750 plus shipping Contact:willgrant@yahoo.co.uk
*$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 .
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The remarkable disappearing hardtop, circa 1933. The 1933/1935 Peugoet 301 Eclipses were coachbuilt by Pourtout but marketed by the Peugeot dealer organization.
By Gijsbert-Paul Berk
During the 1930s, our Three Musketeers, together and individually, were involved in a number of projects with French, Italian and British carmakers.
Lancia
When Pourtout showed the first special bodies for the French made Lancia Belnas at the Paris Motor Show, he still worked in Bourgival . That can be seen on the sign above his stand. But in order to manufacture these bodies in limited series, he acquired the Hurtu car factory and moved his activities to Rueil-Malmaison.
In 1934-35, Carrosserie Pourtout transferred it activities from Bourgival to the Paris suburb of Rueil-Malmaison. In fact Marcel Pourtout acquired the factory of Hurtu Automobiles in the Rue Paul Doumer. The extra space, facilities, and its trained workers were what he needed to produce small series of special coachwork. There was another reason, however; the proximity to a new factory opened by Lancia.
Sorry, you are too late! On Wednesday February 4, 2015 this 1934 beautiful Lancia Belna Eclipse by Pourtout went under the hammer at RM Auctions and was sold for € 212.800 It was estimated at over 300.000 so the new owner must be a happy person. (Photo courtesy RM auctions).
To avoid paying the sky-high import duties in France, the Italian car manufacturer Lancia, had opened a factory in Bonneuil-sur-Marne (in the Ile de France region). There, Lancia was building the Belna berlina (sold as Lancia Augusta in Italy and elsewhere) and Pourtout had got a contract to build their roadsters, fixed-head coupes and a number of ‘Eclipses’. The order for the first year was no less than 365 of these special-bodied Lancias. [Read more…] about The Three Musketeers Part 2: 1930-1939
Here’s a rare one, even by Etceterini standards. Look at the scale compared to the Alfa 6C2300 and the Bocar in the background. The Avalle brothers, Mario and Piero, were car builders from Turin and racers both before and after WWII. They called their cars Avalles. In the early 1950s, they had a frame built by Grignani and Sandro Fiorio assembled this car, designated ALF. A was for Avalle, L was for the Lancia Ardea engine (with heavy Nardi mods) and F was for Fioria. The V-4 Ardea was sleeved down to run in the 750 class. The car originally had a cycle-fendered body, but was later given the present envelope style, both done by Motto. Unfortunately, Mario Avalle was killed in a crash in the 1952 Mille Miglia The car is now owned by Etceterini collector Howard Banaszek. It carries a BMC 998cc engine-, similar to an early Brit Formula Junior engine. Believe it or not, Howard says there’s a lot of room in the cockpit.
Story and Photos by Michael T. Lynch
Over 20 Editions, Bill Warner has built the Amelia Island Concours into a concours second only to Pebble Beach and its 65-year tradition. Because of Bill’s long involvement in racing, photography and journalism, the weekend is basically a gathering of Bill’s old buddies from those fields plus major collectors he has met through the years. The public is invited to take part and they pour through the gates in amazing numbers, always a plus for an event that makes significant charitable donations.
One advantage Bill has over Pebble is the size of his show field. It allows him to display 150 more cars, yet there seems to be no compromise on the quality of the entry. The tone of the field is different and Bill’s racing background results in decidedly more sporting and racing machinery than is seen at Pebble. However, classics are hardly ignored as seen by two Stutz classes this year totaling over 20 cars. Racing and performance cars do take precedence and the Cars of Stirling Moss Class was probably the greatest collection of cars Sir Stirling drove that has ever been assembled – close to 30.
There were 26 Ferrari on the field, including a class for Formula 1 cars. This did not diminish what Amelia Judge and Carmel Concours organizer, Doug Freedman, calls “The Fun Factor.” That included a Chrysler Town and Country Class and another for Cars of the Cowboys – think customs created for stars of western movies or country singers.
Hot rods were represented by two classes, those built in the West, and those built in the East – the latter not near as well publicized in period. There were over twenty of these. So many were Hot Rod magazine cover cars that I had to calculate of there were enough months back then to accommodate them all.
Let’s take a stroll down the show field and look at some cars that will interest VeloceToday readers
The Ferrari 250 GT Sperimentale was in the Stirling Moss Cars Class and won the Daytona International Speedway Trophy. It was fitting, because Moss drove the Ferrari at the 1962 Daytona Continental where he finished 4th overall and first in the GT class. The car was SWB-based with a 250 TR engine and a body that prefaced the Ferrari 400 Superamerica road model. Owner Bruce McCaw had it restored to its Le Mans 1961 configuration, where it was driven by Tavano and Baghetti.
Bill Warner catches a ride with Sir Stirling in the 300SLR.
Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
Dear Pete,
Up like a lark for a crack of dawn start this morning. The general consensus among other photographers who have covered the event before was to get there before first light, so I did. Not sure why though! Had a problem finding the car park; I knew where it was as I had parked in it yesterday but could not see the entrance to it due to the flashing red and blue lights from all the local Police patrol cars all crowded around the entrance to the Ritz Carlton controlling the traffic, of which, at that hour, I was the sum total of it.
Then walking across the damp grass of the greens it would have been but the work of a moment to fall into the lake having been dazzled by the spotlights set up to light the way. It was good fun however to watch the buildup and to see the cars arriving. Most of my fellow photographers seemed to spend the time enjoying the free breakfast. Perhaps that is why they suggested getting there early.
I was not sure what cars to expect. I had made an effort since picking up the program on Friday to not look at the entry list so I was rather pleasantly surprised as the field filled up. Variety was very evident throughout the field with special classes this year for Stutz, the Porsche 914, Classic Hot Rods, Orphan Concept Cars and probably the strangest yet most fun class of all, Cars of the Cowboys!
'And I learned this from old man Farina..'
Moretti Cita, 1948.
Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
A brief description from the Milan Autoclassica website: “Milano AutoClassica is dedicated to enthusiasts, specialists in the field and whoever wants to draw closer to the fascinating world of Classic Cars. One major goal is to spread the love of our hobby among the younger and more dynamic generations. Following on from the successful outcome of the first two editions and the huge success of the third, Milano Autoclassica returned in 2015, even bigger and better than before. Covering a more extensive exhibition area, with ample areas to test-drive the cars in the open and special events planned for enthusiasts, the curious, and newcomers, making it possible to fully experience classical and sporting cars, together with the world that revolves around them: magnificent vehicles, accessories, special events and Guest Cars; restorers, registers, models, and an area dedicated to private sales.”
As Gerelli notes, the atmosphere is much different than that of France’s Retromobile, where the old car dealers are of a higher class. But even for a long time trouper like Gerelli, there is always something he has never seen before…as his photos below indicate.
Read about Milan Autoclassica 2014
Lancia Stratos GT Facetti Group 4.
Ferrari 500 TR 1956 (#0638 MDTR).
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In Memory of Richard Irish
By Carl Goodwin
One of the great sports car drivers of the fifties is gone now. Dick Irish passed away March 19, 2015 of congestive heart failure at the age of 85.
Several highlights illuminated his driving career. In 1951, he traded his aluminum-bodied Jaguar XK-120 for a Norton-engined Kieft Formula III and a Ford pick-up truck to haul it. With the Kieft he established several track records at the Janesville, Wisconsin Airport and the Brynfan Tyddyn road races, where one turn was named “Irish Corner.”
Dick Irish getting ready to go with his F3 Kieft at Watkins Glen, 1952. At left is his brother Bud who was doing pit crew time. Irish remembers the car and the girl. ‘The gal in the plaid shorts and white blouse is movie star Claudia Hall. Bob Said had screwed up and had TWO dates for the event so asked me to take care of Claudia.’ The Kieft, however, failed to start the race. Photo courtesy Richard Irish.
In 1952, he and co-driver Bob Fergus took a third place overall in the Sebring 12-Hour race, leading four Ferraris and three Jaguars with a 1500cc Siata Gran Sport. They also placed second on Index of Performance and first in Class F. Some say Irish could have driven Formula One.
In 1954, he campaigned a 4.5 liter Ferrari coupe belonging to Marty Christiansen. With this car he beat Walt Hansgen in a C-Type Jaguar in the rain at Watkins Glen. He was a member of the elite Road Racing Driver’s Club and a life member of the Sports Car Club of America.
Irish knew many people in the sport including colorful importer Tony Pompeo, Cunningham Team driver Sherwood Johnston, car-builder Hal Ullrich, and Enzo Ferrari. Irish became one of the few allowed by Enzo to watch the building of his 275 GTB at the factory. Dick was a long time reader and supporter of VeloceToday and his many comments and suggestions were always much appreciated.
Dick wore the uniform of his country and, as an Army veteran who served in Korea, he was a patriotic American who constantly sent emails and letters to newspapers, senators, representatives and friends on issues that would benefit our great country. Those who knew him will miss him. God bless Dick Irish.
He is survived by his wife Barbara, in their home near Oklahoma City.
FOR SALE! Style Auto duplicates: Numbers available are:
1,2,4,5,8,9,10,12,13,14,17,21,22,24,25,26,27,30,31,32,33,36,37. Most have English text, (4,14,27,33 are in Italian.) 1, 2 printed in (IT/EN). 1,2,27 are hard cover. Nice condition, #1 has a few loose pages but is complete; dust jacket on 2 70% complete. £495 GBP/$750 plus shipping Contact:willgrant@yahoo.co.uk
*$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 .
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