Here’s a great event to attend at the end of this month. The Petersen Automotive Museum will have its first annual Automotive Authors Book Signing on Saturday, October 29, 2011 and several authors of particular interest to readers of VeloceToday will be present. The first is Wallace Wyss, who will be introducing his new suspense thriller, “FERRARI HUNTERS“, as well as signing some of his previous non-fiction books and art work. The second is Iso/Bizzarrini expert Mike Gulett, author of “European Style with American Muscle“. They will be accompanied by some other familiar names; Matt Stone, author of “McQueen’s Machines”, Michael Furman, “The Art of Delahaye”. Richard Addato, “French Curves” are among the confirmed authors so far. “Enthusiasts, historians, and gear heads will have the opportunity to meet their favorite automotive authors as they learn about the history of the automobile and its impact on our life and culture from a variety of perspectives. The event will be open to the public and included in the regular price of admission to the museum,” says the Petersen, so make plans now. More Info Here.
Japanese Grand Prix 2011
Fernando Alonso
By Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media
Button wins, but it doesn’t matter
Jenson Button tried his best to make the Red Bull cars look beatable, but despite the hard fought win, it was all for naught. [Read more…] about Japanese Grand Prix 2011
Watkins Glen Memoirs Part 2: 1949
By Eric Davison
For the 1949 event we were ready. My Dad and I had a cabin reserved at the Seneca Lodge and many of the Detroit Region were going to caravan to the Glen. There were but few sports cars, mostly MG TCs and the trip was planned so that passengers could be rotated and everyone could experience a ride in a sports car.
Delahaye: The Grand Touring Tradition
By Ed McDonough
Introduction
Like many Veloce Today enthusiasts, the UK-based American automotive writer Ed McDonough (and author of “The Ferrari 156 Sharknose”) has had a long-standing and more-than-passing interest in French automobiles as well Italian machinery which he has written about in numerous articles and books. He has owned an Alpine A110 and the occasional Renault, Peugeot and Citroen, and raced in several 24-hour events with a Citroen 2CV. He has been competing this year in a 1951 DB-Monomille…more of that later!
He has now discovered a rather unique collection of cars, many of which are housed in England, with others stored in France and New Zealand. The owner has kindly agreed to a series of articles and Ed will be testing most of this extensive and relatively unknown collection of cars. It includes over a dozen Delahayes, all of which have been painstakingly restored and are in superb condition. These are not so-called ‘barn-finds’ but cars on which the very meticulous owner has lavished much attention. We start this series with a 1948 135M with a charming coupe body by Parisian designer/coach-builder Henri Chapron, and some background information on the Delahaye firm.
More Goodwood from Vanhoolandt
We couldn’t help including a few more images from Goodwood from Hugues Vanhoolandt. We hope you don’t mind!
14th Annual Trofeo Aido September 25, 2011
The fourteenth running of this classic charity event in Brescia.
By Charles Schoendorf
Photos by Dino Brunori
Give them umbrellas and it won’t rain. That was the strategy this year at Trofeo Aido. And it worked. Which is nice when most of the cars are open, not to mention the grueling mountain driving!
[Read more…] about 14th Annual Trofeo Aido September 25, 2011
This Week, of Interest
This week we begin an exclusive seven part mini-series of memoirs written by Eric Davison, who, in 1949 at the age of 15 began to accompany his father Charlie to the races at Watkins Glen. Eric’s story is not only about the cars and racing that he witnessed at the Glen, but his relationship with his father, the growth of the sport in the U.S., and the effect it had on families. It is a story many of us can relate to and share, but as we will see, Eric’s experiences are above and beyond the norm.
On many occasions the Davison’s traveled from their home in Detroit to the Glen with their friend Harold Lance, who photographed the Glen street races in rare color film. Philippe Defechereux’s forthcoming “Waktins Glen, The Street Years”, uses this collection to great effect. Lance’s photos, along with Davison’s, are sprinkled throughout these memoirs. In addition, never before published images from the Frank Shaffer collection complement the Davison memoirs. Shaffer was then a twenty year old car enthusiast from Youngstown Ohio who used a BSA to get the Glen and a Leica camera to record what he saw, both on and off the track.
Also, catch Goodwood as seen by Hugues Vanhoolandt, the Circuits des Remparts event in France, Giro d’Italia is back, and the WRC is still wide open as the Mini gets a podium.
Watkins Glen Memoirs Part 1: Prelude
The street years at Watkins Glen were magic to me. In our house the trip to “the Glen” was a yearly pilgrimage. The excitement, the fun and the life experiences that I enjoyed with my father are never to be forgotten.
[Read more…] about Watkins Glen Memoirs Part 1: Prelude
Postcards From Vanhoolandt at Goodwood, 2011
In additon to providing the wonderful ‘cars of Fangio’ which appeared in last week’s VeloceToday, Hugues took many other outstanding photos (exclusive to VeloceToday) of this year’s Goodwood Revival, which seems to get stronger every year and is now the greatest vintage car race and show on earth. Out thanks to Hugues for taking us there. Captions are unnecessary, but if you want to know more about any of these photos, just ask.
[Read more…] about Postcards From Vanhoolandt at Goodwood, 2011
Angoulême, Circuits des Remparts, 16-18 September
Heavenly vintage racing at Angouleme France.
Story and photos by Ian Wilson
The city of Angouleme hosts many superb festivals and colourful events throughout the year, and the third week in September is no exception seeing the annual Circuits des Remparts return to the town. Weeks of preparation have seen crash barriers put in place, marquees erected, local people reminded, and shop windows decorated with a race theme. Race weekend is here, and the place will again ring to the sound of engines. [Read more…] about Angoulême, Circuits des Remparts, 16-18 September
Rally France: The WRC Gets Hot: English and Italian
Latvala hustles through a village on his way to fourth place.
After an incredible WRC in France, an increasingly tight battle in the WRC
By Roberto Motta
Photos courtesy of Citroën Communication, Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, Ford Motor Company, BMW Claude Saulnier Press and Agence Presse
September 30-October 1The Rally France was the eleventh round of the WRC and one of the most exciting, with a number of plots and twists. The first surprise was that the John Cooper Works WRC Mini took command of the first day, followed by a Citroen…but that of Petter Solberg, a non factory entry. Sebastien Ogier was third. Not exactly the expected results. [Read more…] about Rally France: The WRC Gets Hot: English and Italian
Giro d’Italia is Reborn, English and Italiano
Pregliasco, Alfa-Romeo-GTV taking part in the 1979 Giro d'Italia.
By Roberto Motta
Photos: Archive GGRM-Motta and Roberto Giro d’Italy Car-media
Giro d’Italia Reborn
110 years after the very first Giro d’Italia this classic event returns to the Italian peninsula, departing from Turin and reaching Rome after five days of competition and nearly 1600 kilometers. The Giro d’Italia will bring together the cars from both the world of rallying and track competition in a unique and grueling test.
[Read more…] about Giro d’Italia is Reborn, English and Italiano