VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

And How! A Letter from Evi

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This is a perfect fit for an “And How.” Coming on the heels of my story on Dan Gurney, which was read by Dan’s widow Evi, you will see by her attached email that his story touched her very deeply, and the photos stirred many memories of Dan for her. I am so happy that she graciously allowed her feelings to be shared with us. Evi also included many new activities going on at All American Racers that will be of interest to all your readers. Thank you, Peter and Evi for letting me share her feelings with your readers.–Allen R. Kuhn

Dear Allen,

So good to hear from you and to know that you are well and active .

Just when I thought I had no more tears left your Dan tribute and your splendid photographs show up on my screen and well …. Here he is , my beloved Dan, young, handsome, talented and determined, so long ago when life was still ahead.

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Fast Faster Fastest, The Bill Sadler Story Reviewed

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Review by Pete Vack

Friend and countryman John Wright has now completed the definitive and thoroughly interesting biography of Bill Sadler (1931-2022) and his cars, a project years in the making and a labor of love. Wright reveals an often difficult man, both burdened and blessed by a superior intelligence. [Read more…] about Fast Faster Fastest, The Bill Sadler Story Reviewed

Dan Gurney Tribute by Allen R. Kuhn

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Story and photos by Allen R. Kuhn

This photographer thinks Daniel Sexton Gurney to be one of the greatest of all drivers and constructors who ever turned a steering wheel or flew with the Eagles. There are so many fine books and articles about Dan I will leave his full background for others to chronicle. I will stick to my personal interaction with him and include photos of his career between 1956 and 1965.

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Montlhéry Centennial Festival Part 1

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Here is a reconstruction of the record-breaking Voisin which, in 1927, ran for 28 hours at an average speed of 113 mph.

Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

Inaugurated exactly one hundred years ago, in October 1924, the Linas-Montlhéry autodrome was recently the scene of the Centenary Festival. Built in just six months, it was immediately the scene of numerous attempts at speed and endurance records of all kinds.

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Montlhéry Centennial Festival Part 2

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A Citroën DS 23 prepared for the rally in a chicane at Montlhéry where its hydropneumatic suspension works wonders!

Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

We continue with post war racing at Montlhéry.

After the war, competitions gradually resumed with the main races being the 1000 Kilometers of Paris and the Coupes du Salon, organized in parallel with the Paris Motor Show and the entrants in the Centennial Festival reflected those events. In addition, there were concours shows which attracted more entrants and spectators.

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Hershey 2024 by Brandes Elitch

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1960 Imperial

Story and photos by Brandes Elitch

In this brief column, I would like to introduce you to two organizations that are worth getting to know: the Antique Automobile Club of America, and the Society of Automotive Historians.

The AACA is the largest car club in the world, and the Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey is the largest car event in the world. The club was founded in 1935. In 1955 a new group petitioned the club to become a region. This became the Hershey Region, and the first Fall Meet was held then. Things started slowly, but by 1965 there were 1100 cars registered for the show and 35,000 visitors. They were just getting started, and by 1979 over 5000 spaces in the swap meet were filled.

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Etceterini Registries

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Story and illustrations by Frederic Levaux

“Hello, I’m Frederic Levaux, and I am a car enthusiast with a registry addiction.” This is probably how my introduction should go if I ever attend an AA meeting. Like many of you I have bought and restored a few cars, but my problem, when I buy a car, is that I can’t help but trying to learn as much as possible about the car, the model, the brand… and if I do not find what I am looking I tend to build it myself.

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BMW’s Italian Designers Part 2

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By Jackie Jouret
Photos courtesy The BMW Archive

When eleven spectators were killed watching the 1938 Mille Miglia, Italy’s Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini ordered the race canceled for 1939. The Axis powers remained eager to demonstrate their superiority through motorsport, however, and the race was back on again for 1940. This time, the Mille Miglia would trade its traditional mountain route from Brescia to Rome and back for a shorter course that triangulated Brescia with Cremona and Mantua. Although it had a few curvy sections, it was primarily held along flat, straight roads that would favor cars with a high top speed over those with agile handling.

If a car could combine those two traits, of course, it would have an additional advantage. As we saw in the first installment of this series, BMW’s 328 roadster had exceptional handling and a fine engine, especially in full-race form, and indeed a 328 with aerodynamic coupe bodywork from Touring of Milan had already won its class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1939 when it lined up for the start of the 1940 Mille Miglia, aka the Gran Premio Brescia delle Mille Miglia.

In Italy, the Touring-bodied 328 coupe defeated a fleet of Touring-bodied Alfa-Romeos, as well as the other cars entered by the BMW factory team. These included another aerodynamic coupe built in-house at BMW, and a trio of custom-bodied BMW roadsters, two of which we’ll examine here.

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Peter Monteverdi

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Monteverdi with the 750 Ferrari Monza.

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 second in a series.

Peter Monteverdi remains the most prolific Swiss car manufacturer of all time. However, the older he got the more bitter he became that he received little recognition in his home country.

Born in Binningen, a suburb of Basel on the Franco-Swiss border, on 17 June 1934, he was the only son of Rosolino Monteverdi, who ran a garage specialising in truck repairs at 14 Oberwilerstrasse. Peter was obsessed with vehicles and as a teenager earned pocket money at a local tractor factory. After school he worked a four-year apprenticeship at the Saurer truck works in Arbon. But rather than design some utilitarian farm implement, Peter built his own car, aged just 17.

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And How! You know anything about this?

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What is it? Can you help?

By Dale LaFollette
Photos courtesy Dale LaFollette and Tom Black

My good friend Tom Black is at it again. (See Tom’s previous project, below) He just purchased the car pictured here in the last couple of months.

I think the motivation was he couldn’t figure out what it was or who did it. Here are a few specifics; perhaps our readers can shed some light on Tom’s find. [Read more…] about And How! You know anything about this?

The Art of Conservation, Alfa Romeo SZ Coda Tronca

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Review by Pete Vack

Lest one think that this is an old discovery, you are right, it is. Alfa SZ chassis 00170 was purchased by Italian car collector Corrado Lopresto in 2014, and this unrestored treasure was on the show circuit by 2015, where it was photographed by Jonathan Sharp at the Wilton Concours in England. [Read more…] about The Art of Conservation, Alfa Romeo SZ Coda Tronca

Barossa Vintage Collingrove Hillclimb 2024

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1929 Bugatti Type 44 engine showing oil filter housing above water pump.

Story and photos by Vince Johnson

Barossa Vintage Collingrove Hillclimb, 6 October 2024 Spring in South Australia’s wine country sees the vines in leaf and the Barossa Valley hills at their finest. Vintage at the wineries is still a long way off but the long weekend in October brings a different vintage to the SA Sporting Car Club’s hillclimb track at Mount McKenzie near Angaston. Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, the world’s second oldest continually-running veteran car club’s Collingrove meeting echoed to the sounds of last century’s classic and sports cars and motorcycles as they raced the clock to the top.

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