VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Advertising Abarth

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Last week we received the latest edition of Classic and Sportscar magazine, a bit late but always nice to see our VeloceToday ad in the back pages. When I picked it up, an insert fell out–and when I looked down on the floor to see what it was, a familiar set of eyes peered back at me.

Did I know this man? Maybe it’s a Wanted by Scotland Yard poster, or someone is lost, like the kids on the milk cartons. But as it came into focus I could tell it was Karl Abarth.
[Read more…] about Advertising Abarth

Brazilian Grand Prix

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retro
Kimi Raikkonen

Button Takes All, Fat Lady Leaves the Building
by Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright FerrariMedia

It may not have been a pretty finish, or one that will go down in the record books as a great performance, but Jenson Button’s fifth place finish in the suburbs of Sao Paulo was enough to clinch the 2009 Driver’s Championship. [Read more…] about Brazilian Grand Prix

My Favorite Zagato

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This feature is a first for the triad of VeloceToday.com, Coachbuild.com and SportsCarDigest.com.We all had input to this article and feature this article in our respective websites at the same time.

The recent and regrettable passing of Elio Zagato caused us to query a variety of noted car enthusiasts to tell us what is their favorite Zagato bodied car. Sounds easy, right?

Very few of the respondents could claim just one favorite. “Well, it might be the 6C1500 Alfa, but then again maybe the DB4GT, or wait, I forgot about those lovely Maserati Zagatos.” And so it went. It seems that there are so many interesting, unique, and/or beautiful Zagato designs that it is very hard to chose just one.

At the same time, although we tried to avoid it, several enthusiasts chose the same car–the Ferrari Zagatos. And with good reason, as it they be the most clearly stated Zagato effort of all –aggressive, beautiful, sculpted with great art, and of course light and very, very fast.


Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato
Ercole Spada, Zagato designer
“My favorite Zagato model is the Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato. That car might have been too modern for its days, and even in the late eighties the concept was copied by other manufacturers, take the Honda CRX for example.”

Karl Ludvigsen, historian, librarian, author
“I am completely and utterly nuts, nuts, nuts and just comprehensively nuts about the Alfa Junior Zagato. It was first shown at Turin in November of 1969 in 1300 cc form and then upgraded to 1600 cc a couple of year later. Zagato did a wonderful job on this car with its body pared to the minimum and chock full of fascinating details. It’s magnificent. I borrowed one from Alfa on a trip to Italy and found it an absolute hoot. Light, lively and a dream to handle, it is the quintessential sports car.”
Credit Ludvigsen Library


Ferrari 250GT Zagato
Simon Moore, author of “The Immortal Alfa Romeo 2.9”
“The Ferrari 250GT “double bubble” chassis number 0515.”
David Sydorick, collector
“From personal experience, I can certainly second Simon Moore’s choice of the Zagato Ferrari 250GT Zagato, s/n 0515.”


Ferrari 250GT Zagato
Michiel van den Brink, designer, editor for Coachbuild.com
“I go for the Ferrari 250 GT with chassis number 0537GT. Sydorick’s example #0515GT proves that Zagatos are very suitable for both Concours d’Élegance and racing and while #0537GT is practically identical to #0515GT, she’s more purpose built for racing and has some more refined details like the radiator. The fact that this car raced her first race in nothing but primer adds to the story.”


1952 OSCA V12 Coupe Zagato .
Brandes Elitch, contributor, VeloceToday

“I went back to my 2 volume set on Zagato, published by Giorgio Nada in 1989. Volume I, by Michele Marchiano, and while it is a fool’s errand to choose the most desirable car, one did stand out, one I never noticed before. On page 102, there are 2 photos of a 1952 Osca V-12 coupe. The car has an Osca V12 engine of 4500 cc displacement. This car is breathtaking, period.”


Ferrari Tipo 166 Zagato
Michael T. Lynch, author, historian
“A Zagato coupe on a Ferrari 166 chassis that was later rebodied. This is obviously a more sophisticated version of Zagato’s aerodynamica or panoramica coupes on Fiat chassis. Front 3/4 is a little ungainly, but that rear shot just makes you want to pat it on the ass, like that Radcliffe College girlfriend in the 50s. Posed with car is Stagnoli, the owner who enjoyed so much success with Ferrari Gran Turismo coupes in the 50s, before there was a GT class.”


Bandini Zagato GTV
Pete Vack, VeloceToday editor, author
“It may be the most perfectly proportioned and beatiful small car in the world.”

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ
Raffi Minasian, designer
“Small cars are extremely difficult to design well. Add to that a very round, full surface theme combined with manufacturing limits to the day-light openings and you can imagine the challenges the SZ package presented Zagato. Yet the execution, proportions, and final form is simply perfection. There has never been a better closed bodied short wheelbase design than the Zagato bodied Alfa Romeo SZ.” Credit Michael T. Lynch

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Goodwood the Great

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What makes Goodwood great. The cars, the pits, the clothes, the drivers, the backdrop, are all presented with relentless historical accuracy. Then they go out and race like hell.

Color Photos and captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Text by Pete Vack

Goodwood’s history has a very Italianate connection. The 9th Duke of Richmond better known as “Freddie” March, was an engineer and engaged in coach building in a business arrangement with Kevill-Davies.


Lancia Augusta March.

Their favorite subjects were Lancias, and the firm produced a number of sporting Lancia Augustas and Aprilias in the 1930s. In 1936, a hill climb was held for a small group of Lancia owners on the grounds of the March’s estate in West Sussex. Freddie reportedly won, of course. The fun was short lived as war was just around the corner. The March’s backyard became an airfield during WWII, and being only 60 miles south of London, served as a base for the Battle of Britain. [Read more…] about Goodwood the Great

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca mixes Hall and de Ferran, History and Great Racing

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deferran-chaparral.jpg
Jim Hall in the Chaparral 2E, Gil de Ferran in the Chapparal 2 and Simon Pagenaud in the Acura ARX-02b circulate at Laguna Seca. Credit: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

By Michael T. Lynch

Believe it or not, there are occasional heartwarming automotive stories that have nothing to do with French or Italian cars. This one concerns Paris-born (to Brazilian parents) Gil de Ferran, who came to the United States to join Hall/VDS Racing in 1995. [Read more…] about Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca mixes Hall and de Ferran, History and Great Racing

Ferrari by Sheehan

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Ferrari F50


Ferrari Enzo

Michael Sheehan looks at the Ferrari Supercars
Part 2 focuses on the V12 F50 and Enzo

All photos by Michael Sheehan unless otherwise noted.
Read Part 1

F50; back to a V-12

“Fifty years of racing, fifty years of winning, fifty years of hard work.” With these words Luca Montezemolo, head of Ferrari S.P.A., introduced the F50 at the Auto Museum in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 6, 1995 in conjunction with the 63rd annual international Automobile Show. [Read more…] about Ferrari by Sheehan

Murphy’s Missing Duesie

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Posed in front of a LeMans setting, the ex-Joe Boyer Duesenberg now rests at the Simeone Foundation in Philadelphia, PA.

Duesenberg’s win at the 1921 French Grand Prix at Le Mans was
significant for what it was as well as marking the gap that would follow. It was a landmark victory by an American car with an American team of drivers that would not be repeated until the Gurney/Foyt Ford GT 40 Mk IV in 1967, forty-six years later.
[Read more…] about Murphy’s Missing Duesie

Japanese Grand Prix

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retro
Giancarlo Fisichella

Red Bull Still in the Hunt

by Erik C. Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media

Sebastian Vettel kept the Red Bull team’s title hopes alive for another weekend after leading start to finish in this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. The German wore his Teflon driving suit and was untouchable throughout the race. [Read more…] about Japanese Grand Prix

Jon Shirley on Kids and the Nuvolari P3

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Interview with Jon Shirley, owner of the Nuvolari P3.


Jon and Mary Shirley at Pebble Beach 2008.
Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.

Jon Shirley developed an interest in cars when he was nine, driving an old truck on a farm. Later when in college, he attended races at Watkins Glen, Thompson and Lime Rock. Naturally he developed an interest in sports cars and racing–one that would last until the present time. [Read more…] about Jon Shirley on Kids and the Nuvolari P3

Grand Prix of Singapore

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retro
Giancarlo Fisichella and Kimi Raikkonen

Concrete Labyrinth

by Pete Vack
Photos courtesy and copyright FerrariMedia

Erik Nielsen is traveling.

There must be something about Singapore the cameras just aren’t catching. While the guys at SpeedTV (and a great crew they are), were waxing about the glories of the Singapore Grand Prix on this island nation, what appeared on our Plasma was a concrete labyrinth consisting of myriads of Armco, ungainly fencing hung over miles of concrete barriers, all artificially and cruelly lit by fifteen hundred lights, the result looking more like a modern prison camp than a glamorous race venue. [Read more…] about Grand Prix of Singapore

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