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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Moretti 750 Gran Sport Times Three

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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

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.

While doing last minute research for this article and with the help of William Edgar and Peter Vanlaw, we found some new insights about the Moretti Gran Sports that went though the hands of West Coast importer Ernie McAfee. The competition record of the GS is quite good, but hard to research. Next week in Part II we’ll provide what we know and hopefully readers can add to the list of events.

Saving the Gran Sports

Moretti-GS-750-Ludvigsen

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.

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Cross Country Miura

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Guy Anderson is a famous exotic car dealer from the South who has identified himself with some of the most exciting cars including Ferrari, Lamborghini and the Cobra. Along the way he has had many adventures, some of which were harrowing at the time but are a good laugh now. He shared one story after being prodded by VT contributor Wallace Wyss

Story and Photos by Guy Anderson

This tale begins with the purchase of a pair of Miuras. One was a 1966 P400 that was painted in white with red and blue accents. The slats, eyelashes, rockers, bumpers and grills were painted in either red or blue. It was bizarre to look at, kind of a “beater”. The second car was a pale blue 1969 “S” with the paint being considered flat, not very glossy.

Both cars were the property of a man who advertised them in www.motors.co.uk.. When I saw the ad I immediately called the owner and struck up a deal to purchase the pair. I sent him a deposit and prepared to venture to Lake Tahoe to drive both the cars back to Atlanta, Georgia, a distance of approximately 2,500 miles.

The early P400 was running but the brakes did not work. The S would start but was popping and skipping “BAD” according to the owner.

The pictures of the cars arrived, but since the pictures were Polaroid shots, you couldn’t see anything but a faint blue and faint white silhouette of the Miuras sitting in a garage. After deliberating what tools and parts were needed to take, we decided on brake parts, alternator belts, points, plugs and a roll of high tension copper-core, spark plug wire and some spark plug ends. We also brought all tools necessary to make such a trip and a carb synchronizer for good measure. [Read more…] about Cross Country Miura

1975 Alfa Tipo 33-TT-12

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alfa-T33

By Alan Yankolonis

There are many stories surrounding the famous Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 that was developed during the period from 1967 through 1977 and there are still a few mysteries related to the provenance of some of these famous Alfas. Of particular interest was a car that was developed in 1975 as a test mule for modifications—AR-115-12-012, an experimental car that now resides in the Simeone Foundation. Previously, there has been very little published about this car, and below we hope to put forth a few theories about the car’s competition record.

Much of the research for this article is from an excellent book published in 2005 and written by Peter Collins and Ed McDonough, entitled; Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 The Development and Racing History. The book covers the ten year span of the development of the Tipo 33 with its racing history and the difficulty of tracking the many chassis numbers, as well as the many rumors and myths surrounding this car model and Alfa Romeo in general.

Alfa T33

The Simeone Alfa T33 as it appears today. The car had been restored by Ambrosiana Motor Car of Italy in 1988 and acquired by Dr. Fred Simeone shortly thereafter.

In the Collins/McDonough book, I read with interest that chassis number AR-115-12-012 which now resides with the Simone Foundation, received little mention as to its participation in the 1975 World Championship of Makes (WCM) (later called the World Sports Car Championship). Chassis #012 did not receive credit for participation in any of the WCM races that year, although a few races did not have chassis numbers listed. As best as I can determine five chassis were utilized in 1975, serial numbers ending in: 008, 009, 010, 011, and one test car. Could it be that #012 was in fact the test car?

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Our Features This Week, May 2nd 2012

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Coming later today, May 9th:
Inside the Paddock Winner
Moretti Times Three
Alfa T33 Mystery
Josef Ganz and the VW
Miura Across America

And, Happy Birthday, Greg Vack!

If you are a Premium Subscriber and would like have a chance to win a copy of “Inside the Paddock” (US shipping FREE), send me your name now..this is the last week of the offer.

Below. find out where you can watch the Alfas from Scuderia Portello in May begining this weekend in Monaco. Tell them “VeloceToday” sent you…

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Sign up for our Premium Subscription now to get a chance to win the hot, and hot off the press “Inside the Paddock”. We’ve extended the deadline to May 4th to enter the contest for this fascinating book on race car tranporters! To enter, send your name and address to vack@cox.net.
CLICK HERE TO BECOME A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER
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Watch Scuderia Portello Alfas at These May Events!

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Catch the Portello entries at Donington, Monte Carlo, and the Mille Miglia in May.

By Roberto Motta

Photos courtesy of Scuderia del Portello

Scuderia Portello has a big month planned for May as they celebrate their 30th Birthday.

On May 5th and 6th, the Scuderia del Portello will be at Donington Park “Historic Festival”, with its English partners. The Milanese team entered the first race with the Alfa Romeo GTA U2TC driven by the “gentleman drivers” Jason Wright, Michael Gans and Simon Tate. Wright and Gans will also take part in the “1000 km”.

The Alfa-de Tomaso F1 car will compete at Monte Carlo.

From May 10 to 13, Scuderia del Portello, and Ross Zampatti, the ubiquitous Australian pilot of Italian descent, will participate in the ‘”8th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique”, with the De Tomaso – Alfa Romeo that took part in the Grand Prix of Italy in 1961 with Nino Vaccarella. The car will be entered into the D category, reserved for cars with rear engines up to 2,000 cc. Zampatti won the European Car GT Historical 2006 with Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Zagato entered by Scuderia del Portello.

On May 17 to 20, the Scuderia del Portello will be at the “Mille Miglia” with four cars.
Wishing to emphasize the international aspects of the club, Scuderia del Portello will assign the MM cars with drivers from different countries.The all-female team formed by the crew of Christina D. Von Schinkel and Caroline N. Koc, (based in Turkey) will be at the start of the event with an Alfa Romeo 1900 TI. This car competed in the Carrera Panamericana in 1954, with Bonini and Zanaboni.

The Italian crew, composed of Paolo Zanardi and David Tizzi, will drive an Alfa Romeo Spider Sebring.

Shintaro Goto and Takayoshi Matsui, members of Scuderia del Portello Japan, will participate in a 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 TI Super.

Finally, the German partners and Josef Joachim Isselhorst Schnippering, will participate in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Berlina

On hand at all the events will be this Alfa Giulia Estate to serve as a support vehicle.

A team of mechanics at the wheel of an Alfa Giulia Wagon of 1972, fully restored to be a mobile workshop, will be on the scene to assist as necessary.

We hope you will stop to see our Scuderia Portello friends at these events, and tell them you read about them in VeloceToday…

In Italian

Continuano i festeggiamenti per i 30 anni i Scuderia del Portello
By Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy of Scuderia del Portello

Nel corso dei festeggiamenti per i trenta anni dalla fondazione, nel prossimo mese di maggio la Scuderia del Portello sarà presente in numerose manifestazioni di carattere Internazionale.

Il prossimo 5 e 6 maggio, la Scuderia del Portello sarà presente al Donington Park “ Historic Festival con i suoi soci inglesi.
La scuderia Milanese sarà impegnata nella 1° gara di campionato U2TC con le Alfa Romeo GTA affidate ai “gentleman driver” Jason Wright, Michael Gans e Simone Tate. Wright e Gans prenderanno parte anche alla “1000 Km“.

Dal 10 al 13 maggio, Scuderia del Portello e Ross Zampatti, l’onnipresente pilota Australiano di origini italiane, saranno presenti all’“8°Grand Prix de Monaco Historique”, con la De Tomaso – Alfa Romeo che prese parte al Gran Premio d’Italia del 1961 con Nino Vaccarella.
La vettura sarà iscritta nella categoria D, riservata a vetture con motore posteriore fino a 2.000 cc.
Ricordiamo che Zampatti ha vinto il titolo Europeo Auto G.T. Storiche del 2006 con Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS Zagato iscritta dalla Scuderia del Portello.

Infine,Dal 17 al 20 maggio, la Scuderia del Portello sarà presente alla “Mille Miglia” con 4 vetture
Volendo sottolineare l’internazionalità del Club, Scuderia del Portello sarà presente alla MM con vetture affidate a piloti provenienti da diverse nazioni.
Il team tutto femminile formato dall’equipaggio Turco delle sorelle Christina D. Von Schinkel  e Caroline N. Koc, saranno al via della manifestazione con un’Alfa Romeo 1900 TI.
Questa vettura partecipò alla Carrera Panamericana del 1954, con i piloti Bonini/Zanaboni.
L’equipaggio Italiano, composto da Paolo Zanardi e Davide Tizzi, porterà in gara un’Alfa Giulietta Spider Sebring Monoposto.
Goto Shintaro e Matsui Takayoshi, soci di Scuderia del Portello Giappone, parteciperanno alla MM con un’Alfa Romeo 1900 Ti super del 1954.
Infine, i soci tedeschi Joachim Isselhorst e Josef Schnippering, parteciperanno alla MM con un’Alfa Romeo Giulietta Berlina.
Il team ufficiale del Portello sarà seguito, come ogni anno, dalla squadra di assistenti meccanici alla guida di un’Alfa Giulia Giardinetta del 1972, perfettamente restaurata ad officina mobile.

Racing Car Transporter Art

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Mike's depiction of the Scuderia Lancia Transporter, circa 1955.

By Pete Vack

Inside the Paddock was one of those very special books for this reviewer as it was not considered a job, but a joy. Reading was therefore accorded the status of pleasure, something to be done slowly at the end of the day while relaxing and extending the happy experience of turning the pages one at a time, a few each night from beginning to end without need to jump about.
[Read more…] about Racing Car Transporter Art

Gauld on the Ecurie Ecosse Transporter

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Ecurie Ecosse transporter

Brand new, the Ecurie Ecosse Transporter arrives at Silverstone in 1960 with a brace of D-type Jaguars on top.

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

Throughout the years, racing cars have been dragged to race meetings all over the World in different forms of transport. Today nearly every paddock for an International or National series sees a polished line of modern trucks. However, it was not always this way; when the Scottish racing team Ecurie Ecosse started out in 1952 the drivers initially drove their Jaguar XK120’s to and from the local circuits and then used a 1932 Leyland for circuits further away.

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Rally Argentina 2012

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Sebastien-Loeb--lead

Loeb drove cautiously to win in Argentina.

By Roberto Motta

Photos courtesy of Citroën Communication, Ford World Rally Team and Media-Rally Argentina

After having been in command of the rally since Friday, Loeb and Hirvonen finished one-two in the Rally of Argentina. Sébastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena achieved their seventh consecutive victory in South America, a victory somewhat dimmed by the Citroen team’s decision to maintain positions and not allow their drivers to fight for the lead.
[Read more…] about Rally Argentina 2012

Via Flaminia Pre-War Tour, May 26th to June 1st

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The Via Flaminia Tour in 2011 was a great success, and the winner in a 1937 Citroën Traction are Ruud and Miriam Wesselink. They won the Bulova watch and the challenge cup. This year the Via Flaminia Pre War will start in Trieste. After 1200 kilometers and the legendary passes through the Dolomites the rally will end in the historic centre of Udine. This delightlfully cozy rally has only 25 entry positions so be quick to grab the last entry. Service team, baggage car and film/photo crew included. Only € 2.990,- for a great week of motoring fun. The formula for success remains much the same. A daily drive of about 170 km, a light competitive element but most of all plenty of enjoyable scenery and accommodations. Transport from Dusseldorf by car train.

For all inquiries contact Bart Kleyn at 0031 6 242 343 45 or b.kleyn@via-flaminia.com. For more information visit Via-Flaminia.com.

Ollon Villars 1958: AC Zagato, Lotus Ghia-Aigle

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Graham Gauld finds oddities at the 1958 Ollon Villars Hillclimb

Clearly the readers of VeloceToday have enquiring minds. They appear to warm to the oddities of this world and no doubt in future months the odd oddity will make its way into my features. Just to give you a warm up I want to take you back to 1958 when Brazil won the world soccer cup and Mike Hawthorn became the first Englishman to win the World Formula 1 drivers championship.

I had decided to return to Modena to see what was happening since last I had been there, but I was stuck as I did not have a car – even though I was sports editor of an automobile magazine. The fact that a friend loaned me his Heinkel three-wheel “bubble car” and I drove it from Scotland to Modena and back…including over the Alpine passes…is another story but we were tough back then as well as stupid! However, on the way to Modena I planned to go to the European Hill Climb Championship event at the Ollon-Villars Hill Climb near Lake Geneva.

Hans Herrmann on the line at Ollon-Villars with the Borgward 1500. Note Wolfgang von Trips looking at him behind the car with von Trips’ RSK lined up behind. The red and white car is Albert Leuenberger’s Lotus II-Maserati with a 1500cc engine.

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Gordini Transporter

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By Roy Smith, historical images copyright Bob Dance

Our lead photo is of the Gordini Transporter Recreation, based on a Laffly chassis and it is actually a race car transporter, not a support truck. Sadly, the original vehicle, based on a Lancia 3RO 6.8 liter, no longer exists as we are given to understand, though many stories abound.

We thought it might be interesting to recall some of the highlights or maybe lowlights of one of the most recognisable racing car support vehicles to grace the paddocks of Europe’s racing circuits in the 1950s. [Read more…] about Gordini Transporter

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