VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

New Spada Codatronca Monza In English and Italiano

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Spada Codatronca Monza was recently introduced at the Monza circuit.

By Roberto Motta, photos by Aznom
Scroll down for Italian text and more images

On July 11 2011 at the legendary Autodromo Nazionale Monza, the new Spada Codatronca Monza was presented to the press.

Paolo and Ercole Spada (of Zagato fame) as well as Domiziano Boschi are responsible for the design of the Codatronca (truncated tail—remember the Alfa Romeo SZs?) requested by Aznom, a company that specializes in the world of luxury and is also a corporate partner in Spadavetturesport.
[Read more…] about New Spada Codatronca Monza In English and Italiano

Ferrari FF Design Critique

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By Wallace Wyss
Rear photo courtesy Ferrari Media

OK they don’t call it a “shooting brake” but…

At the Geneva Motor Show, Pininfarina introduced the new FF, which they call “the fastest and most versatile four-seater in Ferrari’s history,” and also proclaim it as the brand’s first four-wheel drive model.

Designed by Pininfarina in cooperation with the Ferrari Style Centre, they claim that “the car’s forms and volumes achieve perfect harmony between the car’s sporty spirit and its extraordinary versatility.”

[Read more…] about Ferrari FF Design Critique

Rally Finland 2011 In English and Italian

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Loeb and Citroen

By Roberto Motta

Photos courtesy of Citroën Communication, Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, Ford Motor Company, and Media Citroen WRC Neste Oil Rally Finland.

Sebastien Loeb won the Rally of Finland, increasing his lead in the championship rally. The Citroen driver dominated the rally, remaining in command right from Shakedown, but also managed to resist the final challenge of the Ford WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala. With this victory, and with only five more events to be run, we can safely say that the World Rally Championship is being tinted in the red, white and blue of the French flag. [Read more…] about Rally Finland 2011 In English and Italian

Hungarian Grand Prix 2011

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Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso

By Pete Vack

Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media

Pirelli Wins

Like most of the F1 events this year, Hungary was a race of tires, or choices thereof. Give a team enough choices and fifty percent of the time they will screw it up. For McLaren, it was German GP winner Hamilton whose handlers opted for the wrong options. Also for McLaren, it was Jenson Button’s team who got the combination right and went on to win. Simple as that. Hamilton had to settle for fourth after a drive-through penalty.
[Read more…] about Hungarian Grand Prix 2011

This Week, of Interest: Win Rendezvous Art

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Contest: Win a Rendezvous Poster
Artist Chad Glass, along with filmmaker Stephen Mitchell, got together to envision what a modern version of the famous “Rendezvous” video would entail. Instead of a Mercedes, it would be more fun to do the dash across Paris in a Ferrari 458 Italia. (Read story) Chad is offering an 18 x 24 inch print of this image to our contest winner.

To Win: Easy! VeloceToday would like your opinion. Answer these questions in an email address to pete@velocetoday.com by 12 noon EDT Friday July 29th 2011. Entrants with complete answers will be then drawn from a hat.
1. What do you like best about VeloceToday?
2. What do you like least about VeloceToday?
3. What can we do to improve VeloceToday?

Last week’s winner was Richard Diver from Canada. Thanks to all who entered.

Next week, August 3rd, enter our contest to win a Ferrari F1 photo signed by Michael Schumacher. This week, scroll down for five new articles.

(Vignale) Ferrari Beaters

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A personal account by Eric Davison
With thanks to Marcel Massini and Richard F. Merritt

The recent story by Wallace Wyss about Ferrari ‘beaters’ (The Joy of Beater Ferraris) brought back a memory about a time when there were even Vignale Ferraris that were beaters, although that pejorative had not yet been used in conjunction with automobiles.

Unlike today when the name Ferrari evokes dollar signs and the older the Ferrari the more dollar signs, in the late 50s and early 60s an old Ferrari sports racing car was just a tired old piece of outdated aluminum that had outlived its competitive life having been surpassed by the latest model.

0332MM in the early 1990s after a complete restoration. Car in lead image above is not 0332MM. Photo courtesy Marcel Massini

But, there were people who had an inkling of what was to come. One such man was a gentleman named Herb Armstrong. Herb was employed by Chrysler International and was headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. [Read more…] about (Vignale) Ferrari Beaters

24 Karat Ferrari GTO Art to be Unveiled at Pebble Beach

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Dante Rubli is an internationally known artist who has been creating unique works of art for twenty five years. Based in Bern, Switzerland, Dante uses such diverse materials as wood, steel, gold, and platinum for his custom furniture, and now, automobiles. [Read more…] about 24 Karat Ferrari GTO Art to be Unveiled at Pebble Beach

Ferrari 458 Grand Am Italia in English and Italian

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By Roberto Motta
Photos: Ferrari Media

After the GT2, GT3 and Challenge versions of the 458, on 18 July, at the Fiorano circuit, debuted the Ferrari 458 Italia Grand Am, a model name one is more likely to remember, if in fact it becomes official nomenclature.

Based on the GT3 version of the Italia and destined for the U.S. Grand Am North American series, it was built in collaboration with Michelotto Cars of Padua, Italy,
[Read more…] about Ferrari 458 Grand Am Italia in English and Italian

German Grand Prix; VeloceToday Rates the Drivers

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Fernando Alonso

By Pete Vack

Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media

Ferrari loses in pit lane—not once but twice.
Almost eliminating all the recent gains made with the Italia, Ferrari managed to make a mess out of the German Grand Prix by twice losing the pit race. [Read more…] about German Grand Prix; VeloceToday Rates the Drivers

This Week, of Interest: Time Warp 275 GTB; Win a Poster

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Stop press

Although a Ferrari 275 GTB was NOT the car used in the famous video “Rendezvous”, (see article below) here’s one that has been in a time warp that just came to our attention. Ferrari hunter Tom Shaugnessy recently obtained this totally original, virtually untouched alloy bodied 275 GTB and it will appear at Concorso this year, then be up for auction at the Gooding later in the weekend. Tom found it ealier this month at a Ferraris specialist shop. Good luck Tom…

This week’s contest

To win this poster courtesy of the Simeone Foundation , tell us what Frenchman, later to drive for Scuderia Ferrari, did not finish in this event. Last week’s winner was Gérard Gaud from France. We had multiple winners and we drew the name from hat. This week we’ll do the same. Entries close on Friday at 12 noon EDT USA. Send all entries to pete@velocetoday.com.

This week, things French

*Film maker Stephen Mitchell, new to VeloceToday, starts off the set by telling us how director Claude Lelouch influenced his life and work and ponders a recreation of his most famous work, “Rendezvous.” “Let’s do it again in a 458 Italia”, he says.

*Next comes two articles about the amazing blazing Renault Shooting Star, which sounds even nicer in French as “Etoile Filante”. The first part is free, (Freemium) feature, the second is for our Premium Members only. So please join up. You won’t be disappointed!

*Then, top photog Hugues Vanhoolandt sent us what he liked about the Goodwood Festival this year–at least the French and Italian cars he caught going up the hill.

Renedezvous Redux? Reflections on Claude Lelouch

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Would it be possible to recreate Claude Lelouch's legendary film 'Rendezvous'? Director Stephen Mitchell would use a new Italia.. Original art, 'Rendezvous with 458 Italia' for VeloceToday by Chad Glass.

By Stephen Mitchell
Artwork by Chad Glass
French Translation follows English text

When Stephen Mitchell was recently introduced to VeloceToday by Wallace Wyss, he told us a bit about himself, mentioning Ferrari, film making, and Paris. We added this up and asked him his thoughts on, of course, Claude Lelouch’s film ‘Rendezvous’. Bingo!! We pressed the right button.

Mitchell was born and raised to have a Hollywood career–literally. A native of Los Angeles, he studied sound, cinematography and editing with department heads from CBS Cinema Center in Studio City, California where Steve McQueen had his Solar Productions. Working as an extra and in small speaking parts in Hollywood films, he practically lived on the set of the television series Mission: Impossible as a family friend directed many of the show’s episodes. Obviously a film career was in the making, but instead of Hollywood, Mitchell’s film career began in France. “I went to Paris because I saw a film by Claude Lelouch—“A Man and a Woman”. It showed me exactly the kind of film I wanted to be making and it wasn’t happening in Hollywood.” We’ll let Mitchell take it from here…

While my interest in films was already well established, strangely enough my passion for cars took root while I was recovering from a head-on collision on the Ventura Freeway. I wasn’t expected to live through the first night but, in the end, my father and I both survived. I read one Road & Track magazine after another, learning and becoming excited about Ferraris, Formula One and the incredible collection of personalities that populated those worlds. It was family friend and mentor Paul Stanley, the director who issued a standing invitation to visit the sets he worked on, who told me I should see A Man and a Woman. (1966) It had impressed him and he figured I would like it, too. That was an understatement. [Read more…] about Renedezvous Redux? Reflections on Claude Lelouch

Renault Streamliner hits 190mph—in 1956!

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By Roberto Motta
All photos by Renault Internal / Press

Part I Construction and Development
The post-war period saw a great development of the aerospace industry. In France, a little team of engineers decided to apply aeronautic technologies to a record car, and the result was the Étoile Filante (Shooting Star). It was a meteoric success….

[Read more…] about Renault Streamliner hits 190mph—in 1956!

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