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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Bugatti on Ice

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bugatti t 35

Del Lee in the Bugatti at Lake Orion Michigan. Note the leather strap holding the crank. Photo by Harold Lance

Imagine, if you will, the prototype Bugatti T35 on an ice-covered lake in Michigan. Eric Davison tells the true story of Ettore’s first T35.

There is no doubt in my mind that I grew up in the most fortunate of circumstances. While my family was not wealthy we were comfortable. We had a nice house, three square meals a day and loving parents. What made my circumstances so fortunate was the fact that my dad was an absolute gear head. He loved great cars and he dragged me along on his wonderful adventures into the world of sports cars. He had been born in England and his preference was for English sports cars but all great cars were covered by his enthusiasm. Detroit, Michigan was where he found work as a commercial artist, painting cars and trucks for ads for ads and catalogs for the Big Three.

While “Detroit” was a word that was instantly recognized by most as a euphemism for big, strong and chrome plated automobiles, it was also the home of a small cult of serious car worshippers who by 1948 had banded together to form the Detroit Region of the Sports Car Club of America

Among those early revolutionaries was Harold Lance, a car enthusiast, original Detroit Region of the SCCA member and a Bugatti fanatic. In those days, the early 1950s, you could count on your fingers and toes, the sports cars to be found in Detroit. There were few Bugattis except the beautiful Royale that was owned by Charles Chayne, then the chief engineer of Buick. There was also a Type 37 that had been the property of Edsel Ford. That car was on display in the Henry Ford Museum in Greenfield Village on the Ford property in Dearborn, Michigan.

While Lance was a young army veteran who was just starting a family and could not afford a Bugatti, he had a subscription to the English Motorsport Magazine and spent considerable time scouring the classified ads.

One day, in the June 1951 edition of Motorsport, he found an ad for what was declared to be a Type 37A Bugatti. This particular car had been fitted with a supercharged Brescia engine and the price was only 400 pounds sterling or around $1600. [Read more…] about Bugatti on Ice

Requiem for a Salesman

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Del Lee's Allard, which he would give up in order to get a Bugatti. Photo by Eric Davison.

By Eric Davison

I am about to do something that on one should ever do: That is to repeat a story once told by a legendary story teller.

The late David E. Davis told this tale many years ago. He may go down in history as one of the great story tellers of all time and that is a tough act to follow. Since he is no longer around I think it is my responsibility to keep this bit of lore going. The story involves two men who have been part of earlier stories that I have related and is just too unforgettable to let fade. Both parties were friends of David E. who watched the following drama unfold when he was a young salesman at Falvey Motors.

Lee in his Bugatti Type 37 which would later be determined to be a T35. Photo by Harold Lance.

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Nardi at Le Mans, Part 2: The Bisiluro

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By Roberto Motta

Photos courtesty of Roberto Motta, Dino Brunori and Alessandro Nassiri © Archivio Museo Scienza

As we have seen, (Read Nardi at Le Mans Part I) despite the early retirement of his car in 1954, Damonte was still eager to compete with a Nardi at Le Mans. At some point in 1954, the engineer-architect, pilot and aircraft enthusiast Carlo Mollino was taken by the lines of Damonte Le Mans OSCA. Mollino had been hired by Damonte to redesign his personal apartment and the two shared an interest in cars. Using a photo of the OSCA as it appeared in a magazine, Mollino began to sketch out an idea for an aerodynamic body that would not cover a racing car chassis, but instead, a chassis would be constructed to conform to the streamlined body. Mollino became part of a new project to create a new car for the 1955 Le Mans. It would become known as the DaMolNar (Damonte/Mollino/Nardi Bisiluro.)

Mollino first designed a car with an aerodynamic nose, no radiator, modeling it like a thin airfoil and then began to add essential elements. The final design was a totally asymmetric car, consisting of two separate nacelles.* The left side contained the engine and transmission; the right side was dedicated and designed for a driver of small stature (less than 5 foot 7 inches).

Drawings by Carlo Mollino were surprisingly close to the finished Bisiluro.

[Read more…] about Nardi at Le Mans, Part 2: The Bisiluro

Italians at Retro

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barnyard ferrari find

Retro at its best shows off the latest discoveries like this 1954 Ferrari 250 Monza spyder Pinin Farina.

Hugues Vanhoolandt on some of the Italian cars that appeared at Retromobile this year.

By Hugues Vanhoolandt

Cisitalia 33DF

Despite the success of the 202 coupe, Cisitalia was still struggling. In 1953 the company decided to create a line of cars based on both the 1900 and 1100 Fiat chassis. The line was called the ‘DF’ for ‘Deriving from Fiat‘. Notably, the Cisitalia tubular frame was now gone and the chassis was Fiat. The 1100 cars were designated 33DF and the first was a spyder with cut down doors shown at the 1953 Turin Auto Show. But the production models were almost all coupes, as shown here and given the name ‘Voloradente’ or ’low flying’. The engine was modified to produce around 70 hp. Less than 20 were produced.

Siata 208

The Siata 208S, equipped with the Fiat 8V engine, was the perfect car for the West Coast. Ernie McAfee imported nearly all of them to California.

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Rally Sweden 2012 In English and Italian

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By Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy of Citroën Communication, Ford World Rally Team, Ford Motor Co.

After a real thriller, Jari Matti Latvala and his Ford Fiesta WRC won the Swedish Rally, his first of the season. Latvala hit a rock during the special stages but managed to recover and beat his ex-teammate Mikko Hirvonen, now driving for Citroen.
[Read more…] about Rally Sweden 2012 In English and Italian

Cavallino by Gerelli

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Ferrari Mexico 0224 AT Vignale.

Ferrari Mexico 0224 AT Vignale.

Story and Photos by Alessandro Gerelli

Cavallino Classic celebrated its 21st birthday this year along with the 50th birthday of the Ferrari GTO, together with a Vignale celebration.

As usual the event was held in Palm Beach and after two days of track time at the Palm Beach International Raceway, Saturday was spent at the Breakers hotel with the judges at work to evaluate the many Ferraris attending the event.
[Read more…] about Cavallino by Gerelli

Graham Gauld at RetroMobile

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There is no doubt that the legendary Retromobile historic car show in Paris kicks off the season with a lot of fun, a lot of surprises, and just about every known dealer in expensive automobiles is prowling the stands with anguished looks at cars they might have sold if offered.

The show was bigger than ever this year taking in two halls and there was something for everyone. If you want a throttle cable for a 1929 Salmson and amidst barrels of what one would otherwise call junk, you will find one. As for cars, well, Retromobile always brings surprises. For a start, stroll with me to Christophe Pund’s stand. Christian is a jolly smiling Frenchman who manages to dig up the oddest cars from the oddest places and this year was no exception. Restored, but thankfully not to Pebble Beach standard, was a fascinating little Moretti 750 dating from 1955 that was bought by a dealer called Lino Fayen who was kind of French/Venezuelan. Shortly after he bought it he exported it to Venezuela which was just as well because the French tax men wanted to chat with him about tax and customs duty. He fled.

Moretti 750

In Caracas the car went through various hands and thanks to Christophe you see here a picture of Edward Speluvela racing the Moretti in Venezuela. It was a twin cam producing 70 bhp and the odd bodywork was by Aperta. You will note it has a head rest and this is the only thing missing from it today. It is very original and no doubt will be snapped up and let’s hope we see it out racing again.

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Australian Fiat Nationals

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Fiat

We sped through the darkness with the knowledge that things were going to get quite a bit warmer as soon as that sun finally rose.

By Andrew Coles

The 49th annual Fiat Nationals took place at Benalla, Victoria on 20-21 January. In what has become an annual pilgrimage for us, we made the 900km (560 mile) trek over in our 1987 Alfa Romeo Sprint and 1979 Fiat X1/9. Yes, that is correct. Every year we drive old Italian cars halfway across the country in the middle of an Aussie summer. Crazy.

That’s how I found myself behind the wheel of the Alfa the other Friday, chasing one of the most amazing dawn sunrises I’ve seen into the distance. It was forecast to be a hot day and the early morning air was refreshingly balmy as it kissed and caressed the skin. Lights on, windows down, we sped through the darkness with the knowledge that things were going to get quite a bit warmer as soon as that sun finally rose. We were right.

An immaculate turbocharged Fiat 125 finds its way to the Fiat Nationals.

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Hugues Vanhoolandt at Retromobile

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Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

Graham Gauld brought you the commentary this year, and below, Hugues Vanhoolandt provides a look at the colors of red and blue at this year’s event. Here are the selections from the cars of France.

Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport

Cooperation between France and Italy resulted in this Ferrari-like 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport with a barchetta body by Motto of Torino in 1952.

Renault Electric

Back to the future with this Renault Dauphine with electric motor. Henney Motors and Bell Labs, both American companies, experimented with an electric powered car, fifty years ahead of their time …or perhaps fifty years after!

After Ralph Lauren last year, it was the turn of another US collector, Peter Mullin, to show his best pieces in Paris, among them the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic s/n 57374 …

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Ferrari at Daytona, New F1: In English and Italian

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By Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy of Media-Ferrari and Grand-Am Media

Daytona celebrated the 50th anniversary of the legendary International Speedway track in Florida with the Rolex 24 hour race held during the last weekend of January. The Grand Am Series kickoff saw the debut of the new Ferrari 458 Grand Am, the car is designed specifically for the Grand Am GT class. Based on Ferrari’s European GT3 racer, the new car turned its very first laps at the famous Daytona International Speedway in July of this year under the watchful and experienced eyes of both the manufacturer and its pre-eminent North American racing team, Risi Competizione.
[Read more…] about Ferrari at Daytona, New F1: In English and Italian

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