The Saga of the Caswell BNC Part 1
French Charm seeing the light of day after forty years. Photo by George Lymber.
French Charm
By Eric Davison
Getting involved in writing about old cars is something like a disease that is incurable. The symptoms keep on recurring. Case in point: Last year I was involved in helping my friend Phillipe Defechereux with the latest edition of his book about Watkins Glen in the period from 1948 to 1952. (Watkins Glen, The Street Years. 1948 – 1952. Dalton Watson)
The intention was to try to locate some of the cars that appeared at the Glen during those years and to tell where they are today. Unfortunately I had only a few months in which to work. To do a comprehensive job would take years and would make a pretty good book all by itself.
The famous cars were easy. Just about any car that Briggs Cunningham was involved with is in the Collier Museum in Florida. Talbot Lago Figoni coupes, while rare and wonderful, are easily traced. Poison Lil is a legend all by itself. Cars like 2.9 liter blown Alfas don’t disappear; they wind up in important collections. However it was the rare, unusual and not so famous cars that aroused my curiosity.
What's that car? Number 5 is George Caswell at Waktins Glen, 1948. The modified nose would make the car hard to identify. Behind him is the MG of Dean Bedford, Jr. Both cars would finish the Junoir Grand Prix. Photo by Harold Lance.
Pininfarina in the 1970s by Mark Stehrenberger
The third and final installment of our Pininfarina series deals with the 1970s. With hindsight, we can see that today’s Ferraris….still exhibiting the very essence of Pininfarina…have features that were inherited both from the curvaceous sixties and the razor edge seventies. But we’d like your opinion…of the three decades of Pininfarina, what is your favorite and why? Comment below…
Wyss: Into the 1970s Pininfarina continued to wow the design world with unique solutions to new packaging problems. Sometimes, and very boldly so, they went way beyond what was practical, such as the incomparable Modulo, built out of Ferrari race car bits.
TC by Maserati via Chrysler
The TC by Maserati had open headlamps which meant you didn’t have to worry about headlight covers not opening like you do on the LeBaron. The hardtop was always painted body color and if you can get a hardtop with a car, take it, as it’s roughly 10% of the car’s value.
Wherein a top Detroit executive spends millions
to complement his Italian heritage…
By Wallace Wyss
Photos of the TC by Maserati courtesy of Beverly Hills Motorcars in San Diego California.
Most people are proud of their heritage. Lido “Lee” Iacocca was extremely proud of being born in Italy, although he grew up in America.
He became one of America’s top auto executives, first coming to the public’s attention in the ’60s when the new Mustang was rolled out. At one point he had his picture on the cover of TIME magazine along with the Mustang. Though the Mustang was a bang-up success (selling 22,000 units the first day!), all this publicity focused on him really teed off his boss, Henry Ford II, grandson of the first Henry Ford.
So one day HFII (nicknamed “Deuce”) summoned Iacocca to his top floor office and summarily fired him.
Rally Spain 2012 in English and Italian
Dani Sordo had a good Rally, but too little, too late for the Mini.
By Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy of Citroën Communication, Ford World Rally Team and Rally de Espania-Media
After a great season and having already won the WRC World Driving Championship, Sebastian Loeb won the Rally Spain for the eighth time in a row.
Loeb took the lead on Saturday and significantly increased his lead over rival Jari-Matti Latvala, and then controlled the event from that point on. [Read more…] about Rally Spain 2012 in English and Italian
Our Features This Week, November 7th, 2012
Helpful Hint: While our articles seem to vanish, they are simply archived after two weeks. There are now over 1000 articles in the VeloceToday archives. Please use the three boxes at the top of the right column to find them. Use the “Find” box by typing in a car or model, subject or author. Entries will appear in the left column. Be sure to scroll to “previous entries’ at the bottom to see more. Or search by topic or date to find even more great articles.
Below, features for the this week. For our report of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, scroll down.
Driving a Rally Legend… In 1/10th scale
By Pete Vack
Above: This is the Radio Controlled Rally Legends Fiat Abarth 131 on our driveway. It is big; over 17 inches long, almost 6 inches high and 7.5 inches wide. Not full size but you could have almost fooled us. It is fast; right out of the box these electric-powered cars will do at least 32 mph. Merry Christmas?
[Read more…] about Driving a Rally Legend… In 1/10th scale
Goodbye, John
Elizabeth and John Fitch celebrate a win with the Cunningham C4R. Photo John Fitch collection.
John Fitch, one of America’s greatest drivers, died on October 31st at the age of 95. Shortly after, I received two short remembrances, one from Carl Goodwin and the other from Eric Davison. I was struck by how similar both sketches were in scope and nature; both Carl and Eric captured his kindness and sincere, warm personality. John’s racing life is well known by our readers and also covered in Carl Goodwin’s book “They Started in MGs”.
Below, a side of John Fitch rarely seen from two of our finest contributors.
By Carl Goodwin
It was a great pleasure to know and work with John Fitch for the last 28 years of his life. Some of it was for magazine articles but most of it was as the volunteer publicist for his company Impact Attenuation LLC, which held and developed John’s designs for energy-absorbing safety barriers to be used in racing (www.racesafety.com).
It was not always glamorous. But all of it was interesting. In fact Fitch was the most interesting person you could ever know. If only you could have been with us.
Pininfarina in the 1960s by Mark Stehrenberger
Wallace Wyss and the Editor continue to assess Pininfarina’s work through the 1960s via the posters of Mark Stehrenberger. The separation of the works of PF by year and highlighting various models gives us a unique opportunity to look back on the history of the firm and of Italian post-war design through 1970. This week, the sixties, next, the 1970s.
Wyss: In the ’60s Pininfarina did designs that stand well the test of time. In fact, some think the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso is the most beautiful road Ferrari of all time (if you consider race cars, though, you would have it up against the incomparable P3/4).
Motorclassica, Melbourne Australia, 26-28 October 2012
David Rodd’s 1951 Ferrari 195 Ghia Aigle Coupe.
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson
For Auction results and more information go to Motorclassica 2012
A hundred years ago the first Victorian Motor Show was held in the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, Australia. To mark the centenary this year’s Motorclassica, sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, featured a central display of antique, veteran and Edwardian vehicles that mirrored those present at the 1912 event.
1912 Victorian Motor Show centenary display.
Entries in the 2012 Australian International Concours d’ Elegance numbered 125 cars and 16 motorcycles in 14 categories, from the 1898 Thompson Steam Car to a 1986 Lotus Esprit S3. Things got under way on Thursday with the Tour Classica. Many of those entered took the opportunity to be flagged off from Pit Lane at the Albert Park Formula 1 circuit in the city’s south, for a drive through regular lunchtime traffic to take their place in the display. Built for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, the 19th century Great Hall survives intact. Still in its original Carlton Gardens landscape, it continues to be used as a palace for industry. It was awarded World Heritage status in 2004.
Sir Jack Brabham (left) and Ron Tauranac reminisce on stage.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2012
Kimi's win, Vettel's race. Planet F1 photo.
By Pete Vack
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media unless otherwise noted.
Amazing Abu Dhabi: November 4 2012
Kimi Räikkönen made off with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in great fashion. It was Kimi’s win, but Vettel’s race and Alonso’s loss.
[Read more…] about Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2012
Our Features This Week, November 1st, 2012
We are here and well. Not so for many of our friends in the Northeast U.S.; our thoughts are with you. For our report on the Grand Prix of India, scroll down.
