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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Enter NOW for a Chance to Win this Alfa Giulietta Book!

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In January Premium Subscribers were eligible to win an official 2012 Ferrari Calendar; in February we gave away a copy of Dino Brunori’s “Nardi, a fast life”. This month, for our Premium Subscribers only, we are having a drawing for one of the best books on Alfa Romeo ever written: Alfa Romeo Giulietta, tutto su tutti I modelli della Giulietta by Tito Anselmi and Lorenzo Boscaraelli. This is a second edition published in 1998 by Giorgio Nada Editore, (text in Italian). Shipping is free! If you are a subscriber or subscribe before March 26th, send an email to me at vack@cox.net. Drawing will be held on March 27th.

Please help support VeloceToday and our contributors by becoming a Premium Subscriber at one of three levels; $9.95 for one month, $7.95 per month for six months, or the best bet, $4.95 per month for one year ($59.40). Use the mediapass form found with each article to subscribe. If you need help, just email us at vack@cox.net.
CLICK HERE TO A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER

For Premium Subscribers ONLY!!
The 2012 F1 season has just begun. Did you ever wonder how the team of David Hobbs, Steve Matchett and Bob Varsha do their magic on SpeedTV? Read this two part exclusive interview conducted by David Seibert with Speed’s F1 host Bob Varsha!

VeloceToday Interviews Bob Varsha
The F1 season begins soon, just in time to find out the real story behind SPEED coverage of the races. In an exclusive two part interview for VeloceToday, David Seibert talks to SPEED Formula 1 anchor Bob Varsha about life behind the SPEED cameras, and if Formula 1 will get another chance in the United States. Don’t miss this candid interview with a master Anchor.

VeloceToday Interviews Bob Varsha, Part II
In Part II of the Bob Varsha interview, David Seibert asks Speed’s top anchor about his favorite driver, Ayrton Senna. Varsha also reveals why it is so difficult to create content the typical VeloceToday readers enjoy, such as “Behind the Headlights” and the series “Victory by Design. He also explains why the BJ Auctions succeed in spite of the hype. Don’t miss this very revealing interview.

Ferrari’s Birthplace Now a Museum

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Alessandro Gerelli captures the old and the new.

Photos by Alessandro Gerelli

We’re sure everyone has seen the news about the opening of the Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari. We are also sure that no one covers it better than VeloceToday. No PR here, but a good many insights from the Man himself.

ferrari-museum

The workshop next to the new Museum building: ‘My brother and I shared a room over the workshop and were awakened in the morning by the ringing of the hammers. My father Alfredo…made gangways and sheds for the State Railways.’—Enzo Ferrari

The photo is at the entrance of the old buiding and reads 'I am the one who dreamt of being Ferrari.' The yellow museum poster reads 'If you can dream it, you can do it.'

The Ferrari house has been completely restructured and adapted as an art gallery. Enzo Ferrari’s activities during his life are displayed via multimedia with video, documents and car displays. A very futuristic building has been built side by side to the old house: the new structure, when seen from above, looks like the bonnet of a car in yellow, the color of Modena. The new building was designed by Jan Kaplichy, who unfortunately died in 2009 without seeing the final result of his genius. It was completed by Andrea Morgante of the Shiro Studio. Photo courtesy Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari.

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Post War Tatra 600

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Lightness prevails…

Photography by Don Hodgdon, text by Pete Vack

After months of digging through an unfamiliar subject, being assailed for mistakes I shouldn’t have made, assaulted for writing about a car which at one time was made behind the Iron Curtain and spending a great deal of time looking for Tatra books that don’t exist, we present below the fourth and final Tatra story.

That having been accomplished below, we can now sit back and take joy in the catchy, silly, enormously bad puns for titles foisted upon researchers by magazines around the world.

Just think what they had to work with…

Look, Vladimir, No Vladiator; Car, September 1973
Party Time..T603; Classic and Sportscar, July 1994
Tatra for Now; Custom Car, August 1973
Reach for your Czech Book; Classic and Sportscar, October 1992
Prague Uprising; Performance Car, July 1993
Czech Mate; Car Australia, December 1993
Czech Matey; Top Gear,May 1994
Bouncing Czech; Wheels Australia, August 1998

And the final blow, yet another article with the very same silly name, “Czech Mate”, from the good folks at Automobile Magazine in January of 2005.

But just one more; we almost forgot, “Czechmate of the Year”, Special Interest Cars, April 1987. Which leads us to our subject car, for that long ago article featured the very same car now owned by David Russel and photographed for VeloceToday by Don Hodgdon.

The T600 was a definitely a postwar car, refined, thought out, ready for mass consumption. It was similar to the ill-fated Tucker, but went into production in 1948 and continued until 1952.

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More on the Ala d’Oro Stanguellini

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Stanguellini's Ala d'Oro bodied Fiat 1100. Photo by Graham Gauld.

Some time ago, reader Bill Spear emailed a photo taken from Life magazine back in the 1950s. We don’t know when or where the photo was taken but he had no idea what the car is or who built it. So of course he sent it to us. But after that was published, we hear more about this post war classic Stanguellini.
[Read more…] about More on the Ala d’Oro Stanguellini

Australian Grand Prix 2012

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Photo by Andrew Coles.

VeloceToday readers are already familiar with the work of Andrew Coles (see Fiat Nationals, Australia). Coles attended the first round of the F1 World Championship at Melbourne and filed this report for VeloceToday.

Story and Photos by Andrew Coles and Ferrari Media

Formula 1 has always been the holy grail of motorsport. It doesn’t matter if you’re a driver, an engineer, an official or even just a spectator, the FIA’s premiere category has an attraction that no true motor racing fan can deny. It was this magnetic-like pull that brought me to Melbourne for the opening round of the 2012 season. Being there live is a world class experience. No matter how many cameras are used to televise the event, no TV coverage can match. In many respects, TV does a very poor job of portraying what actually makes Formula 1 so special.
[Read more…] about Australian Grand Prix 2012

Special Drawing for Our Premium Subscribers

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In January Premium Subscribers were eligible to win an official 2012 Ferrari Calendar; in February we gave away a copy of Dino Brunori’s “Nardi, a fast life”. This month, for our Premium Subscribers only, we are having a drawing for one of the best books on Alfa Romeo ever written: Alfa Romeo Giulietta, tutto su tutti I modelli della Giulietta by Tito Anselmi and Lorenzo Boscaraelli. This is a second edition published in 1998 by Giorgio Nada Editore, (text in Italian). Shipping is free! If you are a subscriber or subscribe before March 26th, send an email to me at vack@cox.net. Drawing will be held on March 27th.

PLEASE SUPPORT VELOCETODAY BY BECOMING A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER

In addition, the Premium articles about Alfa Romeo described below are available only to our Premium Subscribers. Please help support VeloceToday and our contributors by becoming a Premium Subscriber at one of three levels; $9.95 for one month, $7.95 per month for six months, or the best bet, $4.95 per month for one year ($59.40). Use the mediapass form found with each article to subscribe. If you need help, just email us at vack@cox.net.

Racing Giuliettas
The Alfa Giulietta did not come on the sports car scene as Porsche did, with dramatic wins and startling performance. Instead, it kind of slid into the U.S. market, and began to race two years after its introduction in Italy. Carl Goodwin devotes two full articles to provide all the details of Alfa’s early days in the U.S.

Doing Villa d’Este
Some guys just dream, other guys dream and do. Oliver Collins is one of the latter. But better yet, he not only lives his dream but comes back and is glad to tell the world (via VeloceToday) what and how he became a contestant in the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este.

Alfas on the Track
Jeff Allison, editor of “Prancing Horse”, switches to Alfas and writes a firsthand tribute to Alfa Romeo’s 100th anniversary. Many unpublished color photos from races where Alfas competed in 1972 and 1974. In two parts.

Driving the 8C2300
VeloceToday was provided an opportunity to drive the Alfa Romeo 8C2300 MM Spyder on display at the Simeone Foundation in Philadelphia. It is the only 8C 2300 Spyder to be bodied by Castagna. Why are these pre-war Alfas are so great to drive? Find out.

Desert Classic Delivers

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2012 RANCHO MIRAGE DESERT CLASSIC CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE DELIVERS CROWD-PLEASING EXCITEMENT

Rancho Mirage, CA (February 28, 2012) — The 2012 Rancho Mirage Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance ended its 5th annual event on Sunday, February 26, showcasing over 250 world class rare vintage cars and motorcycles displayed on the green at the 4-star Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage. The event was produced in partnership with Palm Springs Life magazine.

Awards in several prestigious categories were handed out including Best in Show Award to Don Murray and his elegant 1963 Ferrari Super America, and the People’s Choice Award to Peter Giabobbi’s outstanding 1959 Ferrari Testa Rossa replica hand built by him from all authentic Ferrari components.  

With an exceptional field of classic cars, race cars, and vintage motorcycles, as well as a breathtaking aerial display of international war birds by the Tiger Squadron, the 2012 Rancho Mirage Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance offered a thoroughly memorable spectator experience.  The spectacular weather and stunning ambiance of the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa provided the perfect combination for this event which was attended by a record number of spectators.

‘‘The premiere of the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance in Rancho Mirage exceeded our expectations,” commented Rancho Mirage Mayor G. Dana Hobart. “We look forward to a long and productive relationship with the event’s leadership.”

The event was attended by members of the prestigious guests from the Petersen Automotive Museum and The Checkered Flag 200 Club who were out in force mixing with the large crowds of car enthusiasts and the general public. The weekend of fabulous events included The Desert Tour Classic, The Desert Auction, and the Rancho Mirage Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance. In addition, the Classique on Saturday morning drew hundreds of people who lined the streets of the Coachella Valley to watch the Desert Tour participant’s parade past.

The Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance is a Palm Springs Life Event
For further information visit: http://www.desertconcours.com/

Geneva 2012

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Story and Photos by Graham Earl

Early March in Europe means just one thing to the motor industry: the Geneva Salon. Historically, this is the show that the manufacturers bring their new products to, and over the years there have been more launches of concepts and new models at Geneva than any other show in the world.
[Read more…] about Geneva 2012

Back to the Drawing Board

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Stratos-

The recent introduction of the Bertone Nuccio and its obvious (and striking) connection with the 1970 Bertone Stratos caused our Italian Editor to recall driving the famed Lancia Stratos Zero (see last week’s article) but also to dig through his archives, where he found these remarkable drawings from the Archive Bertone. We now present them with the sketches of the new Nuccio for your pleasure.

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Rally Mexico 2012 In English and Italian

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By Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy of Citroën Communication, Ford World Rally Team and Rally Mexico

Sebastien Loeb has won the third round of the World Rally Championship. It was his sixth win in Mexico, and this year he confirmed his supremacy from the opening round.
[Read more…] about Rally Mexico 2012 In English and Italian

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