Villa d’Este as seen by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2013
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Every spring, Lake Como and the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este form a unique backdrop to the most beautiful automobiles taking part in the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
This year was no exception, despite autumn-like weather instead of pleasant temperatures usually experienced at this period.
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Driving the Gordini Sports Part 2, Chassis History
Ed McDonough continues with the history of chassis 19GCS
Color Photos by Mike Jiggle
Historical photos from the collection of Eddie McGuire
The car you see here, chassis19GCS made its first public appearance on the Gordini stand at the 1949 Paris Motor Show. It was originally intended that all the new cars would appear at the 1949 Le Mans race, but single-seater events had taken priority. Maurice Trintignant and Robert Manzon drove 18GCS but retired, and 19GCS made a gentle entry at the Paris Show with its ohv 1.5 engine, a four-speed gearbox, and the light alloy body helped it to weigh in at only 650 kgs. The engine was known as the T15.
1950
Though it had an easy start in the racing world, 19GCS would have a reasonably hard…and long…life. It ran at Le Mans for the first time on 25-26 June, 1950 with Andre Simon and Gordini’s son Aldo driving with car number 34, but it was forced to retire. Andre Simon joined the Gordini team at the beginning of the year. The car was quick at Le Mans but the gearbox broke after six hours. It then was raced, still in 1.5-liter format, three times in July at the Mont Ventoux Hillclimb, the 12 Hours of Paris and the Rouen Sports Car Grand Prix, driven by the various members of the Gordini team. At the end of August it appeared in the rather obscure Coupe Rhineland. It must be remembered that there were an unusually large number of monoposto races going on in this period and the Gordini resources were stretched to the limit.
Help Find Denise McCLuggage’s Race Cars
Hey, Denise McCluggage Fans – (and we KNOW there are MANY)!
Mark Reinwald is working with the Santa Fe Concorso’s “Tribute to Denise McCluggage” on September 27-29 to create a celebration of Denise McCluggage and the cars she raced.
As you probably know, Denise began with the classic MG and continued her racing career throughout a good part of her life. She drove everything in sight, and she drove everything well. She had some great competitors, but in general McCluggage is regarded as the best in class throughout the 1950s and 60s.
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Alpines Return to Le Mans with Legends and History
By Roy Smith
When Roy Smith decided to write up a bit of a story about the Le Mans Alpine Legacy in order for fans to understand the history of the Alpine Sports Prototypes, what he did was do very clearly layout the often confusing development of those rare cars, the Alpines M63 through the Alpine A442B which culminated in a Sarthe victory in 1978. As you scroll down, you’ll see the car by car development of this intriguing French racing effort. [Ed.]
The passion for retro cars doesn’t come much stronger than that of the thousands of enthusiasts who support and follow the Alpine marque around the world.
For the current generation of World Endurance Sports Car followers, Alpine is maybe a familiar name, but unless they delve deep into the past, a new car called an Alpine A450 was just that – a new car. For the directors of the new Automobiles Alpine company in Dieppe, however, it was something more, and the sight of a new sports prototype racing car brought back fond memories for those of a certain age who were there to witness the debut of a new Alpine at Silverstone, England, on April 13th 2013.
The new car, albeit an interim model being run by Signatech and entered under that name, is the first of what the author was told will be an all-new challenge on the World Endurance Championship by the new company (formed by the cooperation of Renault and Caterham) – not a Renault, not a Renault Sport, not a Caterham, but an ALPINE.
This bold new step comes with a huge history and here through images we bring that history to those who may not be aware that in the 1960s and ‘70s Alpine was one of the most prolific of competitors in the challenge to win at Le Mans. That they won the race in 1978 demonstrates their commitment and dedication, backed by the dogged determination of the then Renault Sport team. This is the pedigree of the Alpine A450. The author of this article, Roy Smith, wrote an award-winning two-volume history of these cars and the words and pictures we see here are from that work, a tribute to the men of Alpine Dieppe. A dream has been reawakened, passions renewed; even though they saw it all before, the heart beats a little faster. Le Mans awaits.
Alpine M63, 64 and 65
Alpine A210
Our Features This Week, May 30 2013
Ed McDonough Drives a Classic Gordini Part 1
1949 GORDINI 23S – CHASSIS 19GCS
Photo by Mike Jiggle, European Editor, VINTAGE RACECAR
By Ed McDonough
Anyone who has ever listened to Peter Ustinov’s fabulous motor racing spoof of the 1950s, the Grand Prix of Gibraltar, knows about Amédée Gordini. Ustinov’s parody of the Franco-Italian, Monsieur Orgini, and ‘eez funny leetle blue Orgini cars’ was not only hysterical but drew strongly on Ustinov’s knowledge of the then GP scene. The Orgini team was penniless, inclined to give up in existential despair and sit around smoking Gauloise, even while fueling the cars. Because they had no money for oil, they used a gift of sponsor’s cognac in the car instead! They couldn’t compete with the Teutonic efficiency of Herr Altbauer’s Schnorcedes team, or the drivers like Girling Foss and Bill Dill in the American Wildfowl.
According to Wikipedia, Ustinov was “a car enthusiast since the age of four, he owned a succession of interesting machines ranging from a Fiat Topolino, several Lancias, a Hispano-Suiza, a Delage and a Jowett Jupiter.”
While Ustinov’s portrayal of the French racing car constructor captured the frenetic way the team operated with very limited funding, it perhaps left a generation thinking that the real Gordini was not a serious player in the motor racing world, and that would be entirely wrong.
The Cost of Our Passion, 2013
Story and Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
The RM auction was held last weekend in the gardens of Villa Erba in Cernobbio, together with the Concorso d’Eleganza of Villa d’Este. The catalogue included 38 cars and two Riva motor boats. However, it was really a Ferrari show with 16 entries. Recent models included a 288GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and a 599XX. Most others were from the 1960s. Six Bugattis were on the lawn along with a few other Italians (Maserati, Giannini, Cisitalia, Lamborghini, Lancia and Fiat). The auction was a real success: 27 million euro in sales (around 35 million US dollars) with all the Ferraris sold and most of the lots sold at prices higher than the estimate. The top price was the Ferrari 340, sold at about 10 million euros (including a buyer’s premium of 12%).
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Peugeot Returns to Pikes Peak In English and Italian
By Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy of Peugeot Sport
On 30 June, nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb and a fantastic new Peugeot 208 T16 will start in the most famous hillclimb race in the world: Pikes Peak.
The event marks the return of the French team at the traditional hillclimb after the memorable one-two wins on the same mountain in 1988 and 1989.
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Coming up in June: Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano
By Staff
There’s still time for a few more cars on the legendary Le Mitiche to be held 21-23 of June, but you must sign up now. Mitiche Website For questions contact Dino Brunori at (dbrunori@gmail.com).
There are events, and there are EVENTS. VeloceToday covers the gamut, from the huge such as Concorso Italiano, Retro, Mille Miglia and Goodwood, to obscure, smaller affairs like Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano, which every year caters to barchettas particularly of the etceterini kind. It has got to be one of the most delightful affairs of all; a warm, friendly gathering of truly knowledgeable car enthusiasts who are just as happy with an OSCA as an Ortolani. [Read more…] about Coming up in June: Le Mitiche Sport a Bassano
Our Features This Week, May 23, 2013
The Pilette Racing Dynasty
Last week we introduced Theodore Pilette, the Belgian racing driver who finished 5th in the 1913 Indy 500, exactly one hundred years ago this week. This century old family affair will be celebrated by his grandson and race driver Teddy Pilette at Indianapolis this Sunday.
By Graham Gauld
When Theodore Pilette was killed in his Mercedes in 1921 his son, Andre Pilette, was just three years of age. But Andre would also become a racing driver after World War II.
Andre Pilette
Andre continued the car dealership business and raced anything that was around in the Pilette garage, which included an Alfa Romeo 2300, a Veritas and an HRG. For the 1948 24 hours of Spa race, he was approached by Englishman Tony Rolt to share his Aston Martin DB2. When it came to the race Rolt drove until it began to get dark and then handed over to Pilette.
Rolt then went back to his hotel, had dinner, went to bed and did not return to the track until 9.00 am to take over from the exhausted Pilette who had driven all through the night! A year later and Andre was back at Spa for the 24 hour race this time in a factory HRG winning the 1500cc class.