The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Lamborghini Revuelto, Peter Crombie-Brown, McLaren 750S, Chris Muelengraaf, Wakefield Street
Story and photos by Vince Johnson
Everything from Formula 1 to a Toyota minibus was on the street circuit for the Repco Adelaide Motorsport Festival earlier this month. Le Mans racers, real (and not so real) Lamborghinis, Ferraris young and older, a Maserati and the second-built Brabham BT62 shared track time with heritage Alfas and Lolas.
Above, a picture of the Bugatti T57 G Tank, just before the start of the 1937 24 hours of Le Mans with J.P. Wimille. The use of Elektron alloy in the body would not be discovered for another 76 years. Photo courtesy Bugatti Trust
By Alan Yankolonis
From the VeloceToday archives, June 2020
In addition to winning two French Sports Car Grand Prix and setting land speed records in 1936 which stood for 29 years, the Simeone Foundation’s Bugatti T57 G Tank was the first Bugatti to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Initially the car was built for the 1936 French Sports Car Grand Prix that was established and later to set speed records in 1936. Of three, perhaps four built, this is the only Bugatti Tank known to survive.*
In 2013, Audi was introducing the new limited-edition Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, and Audi USA approached Dr. Fredrick Simeone to obtain color samples from the 1936 Bugatti T57G, and to discuss the possibility of displaying that car at the Quail Lodge during the 2013 Pebble Beach Concourse in Monterey, California. The idea was to paint the show car in the same color scheme as the 1937 Le Mans winner. Their request to Dr. Simeone was to conduct color matching tests on the Le Mans winner and explore the opportunity to have the museum car displayed side by side with the new Vitesse at the Quail Lodge. After much discussion an agreement was made to copy the color of the Le Mans winner, and make arrangements to have the museum car transported to California for display alongside the Vitesse.
The Lopresto Alfa was honored as the top auto in the “Concept Cars & One Off” category.
Story and photos by Bob Cullinan
In 1947 LIFE magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt visited St. Moritz and captured iconic images of the Swiss paradise, calling it “the most fashionable village in Europe.” This playground of the rich and famous has changed little over the ensuing decades, and once a year, mere mortals are invited to bask in the alpine glow and the distinctive sight, sound…and even the smell…of some of the world’s most enviable autos.
Review by Pete Vack
With Alfa Romeo, Cars in Motorsports Since 1945, there is more between the covers than one might think at first glance. In fact this is a prodigious effort to record almost 80 years of Alfa racing around the world via photographs. It took noted author, historian and Alfisti Peter Collins over five years to find, curate and caption some 370 photos. [Read more…] about Book Review: Alfa Romeo Cars in Motorsports Since 1945
Review by Pete Vack
Eugenio Castelotti (Lancia) in the pits before the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix. Photo: Grand Prix Photo
For some of us, interest in F1 falters after so many years; where we could once recite by rote the winners of the six or seven F1 races in the 1950s, by the 1990s it was hard even to recall and name the World Champions, much less who won what in what. But Peter Nygaard’s book makes it easy…and a pleasure…to remember names and the battles that are lost to us in the mists of time and indifference. [Read more…] about Book Review: Ferrari in F1
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
From the VeloceToday archives, 2019. Lead image: A close-up of Castellotti at Dundrod in 1955, concentrating hard while accelerating away from the hairpin in the Ferrari 850 Monza.
There are times when we can all be rather pretentious. I fell into that trap thirty years ago when I had the idea of writing a subjective book on the psychology of the racing driver. I have always had an interest in the variety of people who come into motor sport and what makes them tick. I had read a lot about psychology in general, then dropped the idea when I realized what a fool I might have made of myself. However, if Central Casting in Hollywood were ever asked for a “racing driver type” back in the 1950s, they would have to have chosen Eugenio Castellotti.
See below for more information about this exhibit.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Prior to planning our trip to the Lake Como Concours last May, I read that Fiat had transformed the roof top of the old Lingotto site into a garden. We decided to travel from the UK to the concours events via Turin, staying at the Lingotto Hotel for a chance to view the art and garden displays.
Bob Hanna in the 1960s. Hanna Collection
By John R. Wright
Bob Hanna is one of those quiet and unassuming people who do things unobtrusively so that unless you look closely you miss the important achievements they have accomplished. Not only was he an effective race driver, but he was also a builder of the sport in Canada and one of his crowning achievements was the first Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at Mosport in 1967.
Les Leston
By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“
When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories”. These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the fourth in a series.
Sergeant Les Leston flew 30 Second World War raids over Germany, usually as a mid-turret gunner in Lancaster bombers. For one raid he was too poorly to go; the plane was shot down, its whole crew lost. On another he wrote “With love from Archer Street” on a 4000lb “cookie” bomb before it plummeted thousands of feet towards a Nazi target; Archer Street was the Soho home to the Musicians’ Union, and the London hangout of Les and his fellow jazzmen.
By Alain Raymond
From the Archives, May 2019
Italy, 2012
“The Mario Righini automobile collection is one of the finest private collections in Italy. Would you like to visit?” asks Signora Adriana Zini, Director of Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari, in Modena.
How do you say “of course,” in Italian? Admittedly, I had never heard of the Righini Collection, but here I was the next morning, entering the 15th century castle of Panzano at Castelfranco Emilia, near Modena. Waiting in the inner court, a tall distinguished looking gentleman greets us with a smile. “Io sono Mario Righini. Benvenuti in Italia” says the charming host in a soft voice to the travelling journalist and his two friends. Luckily one of those friends is Salvatore Montana, from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, ex-Ferrari master race mechanic, who also serves as our interpreter.
Story by Pete Vack and Howard Banaszak
Read Part 1
Our lead appears whimsical but in fact, Banaszak’s Stanguellini (CS04080), called a “Mercollini” by the wags at Kiekhaefer, did set the Class H land speed record at Daytona Beach on February 28, 1956, at 102.1 mph, driven by Herm Behm. The combination of the Mercury 55 outboard and the tiny, lightweight but sturdy Stanguellini was a winner out of the box.
By Jackie Jouret
Photos courtesy The BMW Archive
Following its near-death experience at the end of 1959, BMW announced its renaissance at the Frankfurt auto show of September 1961. The Giovanni Michelotti-designed 1500 drew huge crowds, and the all-new midsize sedan tended to overshadow the other cars on the BMW stand. That’s a shame, because two of those cars were also making their debut: a convertible version of the popular 700 microcar—another Michelotti design—and the 3200 CS coupe wearing stylish bodywork designed by a young Giorgetto Giugiaro at Bertone.