VeloceToday’s Michael T. Lynch to speak at Watkins Glen
Two award-winning motorsports authors will be the featured speakers at the International Motor Racing Research Center’s October 8 celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first Formula One race at Watkins Glen. The talks begin at 1 p.m. Authors Michael T. Lynch and Gordon Kirby will discuss America’s World Champions, Phil Hill and Mario Andretti. Lynch, co-author of “American Sports Car Racing in the 1950s,” will focus on Hill, World Champion in 1961. Kirby will speak about 1978 champion Andretti, subject of his “Mario Andretti: A Driving Passion.” Several regional artists have been gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Formula One race in Watkins Glen at the International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC). On October 8th an art exhibit titled ‘The Art of Formula One’, will commemorate this occasion featuring the beauty and power of Formula One racing. The exhibit will spotlight images created by artists who have a unique personal history of attending the racing events at the Glen, bringing to life to the stories and the data that were part of this era of world class racing in Watkins Glen. The ‘Art of Formula One’ will open with an artist’s reception on October 8th from 4:00PM to 6:00PM and will remain on display until November 19th. For further information please contact Cynthia Hill or Jon McKnight, Director of Marketing at the International Motor Racing Research Center at (607) 535-9044 or by email, oldracerjon@gmail.comFangio Tribute at Goodwood by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Juan Manuel Fangio impressed the European racing scene the second he stepped foot in the Old World in 1949. In his first season with the Maserati 4CLT/48, he won the San Remo, Pau and Roussillon Gran Prix. In 1950, he won the Gran Prix of Pau again, with a Maserati 4CLT/50. But it was at San Remo where Fangio truly proved his worth as both a driver and mechanic. A big end went the day before the event. That night he removed the sump, found the bad bearing, and polished the crankshaft with a piece of emery cloth. This alone took him two hours. Then he installed a new bearing and fixed it so it wouldn’t spin. Finally, “I told the mechanics to put the sump on while I went to bed. And the next day I won the race.”
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Alfa Giulietta Berlina Portfolio
All photos below © Alfa Romeo Automobilismo Storico, Centro Documentazione (Arese, Milano)
The Alfa Giulietta Berlina was one of the most advanced sedans of the mid 1950s. Below are the factory photos which provide a detailed look at the evolution of this landmark Alfa.
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2011 Supaloc Classic Targa Adelaide
Story and photos by Vince Johnson
The 2011 Supaloc Classic Targa Adelaide, held from 14-17 September, marked the return of classic rally cars to the hills around the South Australian capital. Covering over 200 kilometres of special stages on closed roads, this first round of the 2011 Australian Targa Championship revived memories of the Classic Adelaide Rally, last run in 2009. Outright winner in that event, Kevin Weeks, has signed his company, Supaloc Steel Building Systems, to a four-year deal as naming rights sponsor. [Read more…] about 2011 Supaloc Classic Targa Adelaide
Grand Prix of Singapore 2011
By Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media
This weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix was more or less the end of the season. Sebastian Vettel has for all practical purposes clinched the title. Yes, there is a mathematical chance that Button could catch up, but it would involve the Brit winning every race and the German gaining no points. And quite possibly, requiring a particle to move faster than the speed of light. [Read more…] about Grand Prix of Singapore 2011
This Week, of Interest
Last week 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 while Spear has always thought it neat, he had no idea what the car is, who built it, nada.
So of course he sent it to us. After doing a bit of searching, we could find nothing definite. It was time to call in the real experts. We turned to Dino Brunori, author of “Enrico Nardi, a Fast Life”, who replied:
The car is a Fiat 1100 body by Carrozzeria Ala d’Oro from Reggio Emilia, built in 1948. Carrozzeria Ala d’Oro was founded in 1946 by Franco Bertani, a gentleman driver italian champion in 1938 1100cc class, and Officine Reggiane in Reggio Emilia.
Officine Reggiane was a small factory that grow up during the war, manufacturing parts for airplanes, mainly wings and cockpits, and therefor had nothing to do at the end of the war.
The workforce was rescued by Bertani with the set up of Carrozzeria Ala d’Oro. The Ala d’Oro bodied most part of the first Stanguellini production cars and several sports models, plus artisans cars and trucks. This 1100 was originally fitted with an hard top very similar to an airplane cockpit (see picture). The design was an in-house work. The car still exist in the hands of an italian collector.
Our thanks to Bill Spear for the question and Dino Brunori for the answer!
Lynch on the First Ferrari GTO
When Pebble Beach announces a special display, the enthusiast community immediately comes to life. No one who saw the six Bugatti Royales at Pebble Beach in 1985 will ever forget the spectacle. A class for Bugatti Type 57s with coachbuilt bodies in 2003 was extremely impressive, with a large entry and car histories on placards mounted on standards. (This article originally was published in September 2011.)
Ferraris also have had their days at Pebble. An exceptional turnout was guaranteed every ten years when Ferrari was the featured marque at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races and Pebble Beach added more classes for the products of Maranello. Hopefully, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will continue this tradition. Other years have yielded some gems as well. In 2009, there were Pebble Beach classes for ten Ferrari 166 Barchettas and all four remaining 250 TR/59s. Last year, there were eight iterations of the 250 Short Wheelbase on the field.
This year provided one of the best, if not the best, Ferrari entry ever, and the highlight was a 50th Anniversary class for 250 GTOs. It had 21 cars aligned along the shoreline. Heading the line on the right was Bruce McCaw’s 250 Sperimentale, one of two SWBs used in developing the GTO. There were also two four-liter GTO variants with hopped up Super America engines. [Read more…] about Lynch on the First Ferrari GTO
A Singular GTO: Vanhoolandt and 3223
Alfa 4C Appears at Frankfurt: In English and Italian
By Roberto Motta
Caption critiques by Wallace Wyss
Photos: fiatautopress
At its world premiere last April in Geneva, the Alfa Romeo 4C was voted the “most beautiful concept car of the year” by readers of German magazine Auto Bild. Now, the Alfa Romeo 4C Concept is on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show now open from September 15 through 25.
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Fairfield County Concours
Story and Photos by Werner Pfister
Fabulous weather, fantastic cars and a good cause underscored the Fairfield County Concours in Westport, Connecticut this past weekend. Since its humble beginning eight years ago in Westport’s Veterans Green on Main Street, this event has grown into a world class event at the expansive Fairfield County Hunt Club.
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This Week, of Interest
Today:
*Brandes Elitch on the Alfa 1900SS Ghia
*Alessandro Gerelli takes us to the Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti
*Newcomer Al Axelrod highlights WWII planes and classic cars at Morgan Adams, Colorado
*Roberto Motta’s full report with images of the surprising Rally Australia
*Erik Nielsen is back with the Grand Prix of Italy
Coming up:
*Larry Crane reviews a Delahaye history
*Ed McDonough drives a very special Delahaye
*Karl Ludvigsen on his Talbot
*Michael T. Lynch on the GTO
*Roberto Motta and the Editor on the Abarth SP 1000
*Eric Davison’s Watkins Glen Memoirs
Brandes Elitch on the Alfa 1900 SS Ghia
By Brandes Elitch
Color photos by Petya Elitch
“The early fifties were a magical time for all Italian coachbuilding, one of those magical moments when, for no particular reason…a series of favorable conjunctures determine the success…of an entire category. These were the years in which the Italian bodywork line was born…Mario Boano participated in Italian coachbuilding’s moment of grace with the Lancia Aurelia B20 and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint. A third model worth remembering is the 1953 Alfa Romeo 1900 C coupe. This is a model which is understandably influenced by Ghia’s contemporary work with the Chrysler stylists.”
From “Ghia, Catalog Raisonne, by Valerio Moretti, Automobilia, 1991, Milan
While not as famous as Pininfarina or Giugiaro, Ghia has an illustrious history, employing designers such as Michelotti, Frua, Savonuzzi, Boano, Exner, Tjaarda, Giugiaro, Sapino, and others. Most American collectors would be surprised to learn that the contract for the Lancia B20 was personally given to Ghia by Gianni Lancia, although it is one of the best known of Pinin Farina’s products. Likewise, they would be surprised to learn that Alfa Romeo gave Ghia stylists Boano and Scaglione the brief for the Giulietta, which was then produced by Bertone. There are a lot of surprises in the Ghia Catalog Raisonne. On page 148 is a picture of a 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 C, a straight side view. In this view, there are a few seemingly contradictory design elements, but there is no question that it is a compelling design. And then it was my turn to be surprised, when I saw this same car, now a show quality restoration, likely better than new, on the field at the Concorso Italiano during the Monterey Historics.