VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Graham Gauld: Grand Prix Itala

By

George Daniels at the wheel of his monstrous 12 liter Itala Grand Prix car at Douglas in the Isle of Man.(Photo Grand Prix Library/Gauld)

Story by Graham Gauld

As many regular readers know, I have a particular passion for Italian racing cars, even the very old ones, and when I recently was given a copy of a superb history of the Itala marque I immediately delved into it.

The fact that the book, published by AISA (Associazione Italiana Per La Storia Dell’Automobile) was in Italian called for a lot of hard work but I had a specific car in mind: the 1908 grand prix car.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Mario Tozzi-Condivi

By

Mario Tozzi-Condivi

By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“

When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories”. These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the third in a series.

For over 50 years, the line of communication between Maserati and Britain crackled through the razor-sharp mind of ex-pat wheeler-dealer Mario Tozzi-Condivi. [Read more…] about Mario Tozzi-Condivi

Austrian Alps Mille Miglia Warm-Up

By

Story and photos by Bob Cullinan

September 26-28 2024 Italy’s Mille Miglia…“the most beautiful race in the world”…is expanding, growing the base of the motoring classic into new parts of the world to attract more interest and entries, and visiting some spectacular sites along the way.

[Read more…] about Austrian Alps Mille Miglia Warm-Up

The Forgotten 70th Anniversary of the 2CV

By

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
From the Archives, 2019

A press release from the organizers of this year’s Retromobile recently jogged my memory. Last year, we had Citroën shots from last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed which were not used in VeloceToday. It was the 70th anniversary of the Citroën 2CV, and to celebrate, one of the classes at the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours was dedicated to that Gallic charmer.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

BMW’s Italian Designers Part 5

By

By Jackie Jouret
Photos courtesy The BMW Archive

When BMW introduced its first postwar automobile, the 501 sedan, at the 1951 Frankfurt auto show, the company was announcing its resurrection as an automaker following the near-total destruction of its factories during World War II. BMW had also lost its automobile plant in Eisenach to the postwar division of Germany: Eisenach fell within the Soviet sector, and the BMW plant was appropriated as a spoil of war.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

T59 Bugatti, IHMA Car of the Year

By

It’s like an ancient insect trapped in amber. Or an unopened cask of century-old single malt Scotch. That’s the kind of time-bending accomplishment achieved by this 90-year-old car, a car that has never been restored, winning the coveted 2024 Car of the Year honor at the International Historic Motoring Awards presented by Lockton Insurance, which took place at the Peninsula London on Friday November 22. Photos of the T59 taken at Villa d’Este.

Story, photos and video by Bob Cullinan

René Dreyfus drove this beautiful 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports to victory in the 1934 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. The Bugatti also finished third at Monaco in ’34. Ettore Bugatti transformed this Type 59 from single-seat race car to sports car, removing the supercharger, and adding a second seat and doors. It kept racing, winning GP events in Algeria and France in 1937. But more changes were to come. King Leopold III of Belgium purchased the car in 1937, and had it repainted from French blue to Belgian black, with yellow accent stripes. It stayed unraced and unrestored in the private collection of King Leopold III, and four subsequent owners of the car all kept it as-is, eschewing any restorations or modifications.

[Read more…] about T59 Bugatti, IHMA Car of the Year

Seavey Captures Rich Guys

By

This 1925 Hispano-Suiza H6b Landaulet looking for a parking space in Cerrillos, NM, during the 2013 Santa Fe Concorso. A fascinating car, built for Andrew Mellon, US Secretary of the Treasury under no fewer than 3 US Presidents. The car, body by Kellner of Paris, was powered by a 6.6 liter, OHC straight six that was basically one half (plus 2 cylinders) of the Hisso V-8 engine that had powered Spad aircraft in WWI. Its four-wheel power brake system was used, under license, by Rolls Royce for many years. The car was retrieved in more or less derelict condition from the estate of Mellon’s chauffer who had been given the car when he retired. Restoration ensued.

Photos by Charley Seavey

Charley Seavey has done a number of Galleries for us in the past, and his photo archives are not yet depleted by any account. Here, we see that cars in this gallery are mostly pre WWII and were built for the rich and very rich. What Seavey eyes is the touches of quality, size, and luxury that are conspicuously absent from more mundane vehicles and in themselves great examples of conspicuous consumption.

Seavey’s previous work for VeloceToday can be accessed via the links following this gallery.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

The Grand Sport Talbot-Lagos of Pebble Beach

By

Photos by Brandes Elitch

Following up on the latest book on the Saoutchik Talbot-Lago 110101 as reviewed last week, here is a story from the archives on the Grand Sports at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours, The information about the Grand Sport Talbot-Lagos below was obtained from the standard work on the subject, “Talbot Lago Grand Sport Volumes I and II”, by Peter M. Larsen and Ben Erickson, published by Dalton Watson. The captions are composed by the Editor.

110114 1948 Saoutchik fastback coupe, Cussler family, Arvada, CO. Clive Cussler bought this car from Jackson Brooks for $32,500 in 1978 after a total restoration.

[Read more…] about The Grand Sport Talbot-Lagos of Pebble Beach

Shannons Adelaide Rally, 8-10 November 2024

By

Mike Lowe & Kerry Chevis, Fiat Abarth Berlina Corsa 1000, Stafford Hillclimb

Story and photos by Vince Johnson

The last month of spring in the South Australian state capital saw road racing in full swing.
Over three days the Shannons Adelaide Rally brought together entrants in road-registered touring and sports cars in the surrounding hills, alongside competitors in dedicated rally vehicles for almost 150 kilometres (93mi) of special stages on closed roads to die for. [Read more…] about Shannons Adelaide Rally, 8-10 November 2024

Auto e Motor d’Epoca Etceterini

By

On the XXVIII Coppa Toscana 2025 stand, a 1951 Ermini Tinarelli Sport, powered by an 1100cc twin cam motor producing 85 bhp.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

One might wonder why we break up these stories into four of five parts. First, download times are increased for the readers if we load up too many photos. Second, if we limit each article to 30-40 images, scroll time is reduced, enhancing the reading experience. So without further interruption, we return to and complete Jonathan Sharp’s superb coverage.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Auto e Moto d’Epoca Lancia, Maserati

By

Another from the Divine a Motore display, Gina Lollobrigida’s 1952 Lancia Aurelia B52 with coachwork by Vignale. It is also believed that the car also appeared in the film ‘ La Provinciale.’

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

If you have managed to wade through the previous three reports from this years Bologna Auto e Moto d’Epoca show (well done) and were wondering ‘what, no Ferrari’s Lancia’s etc’ do not worry, there were plenty there. Here is my pick of the many gems on display. As I said before in part one, if you can make the show then you really must. It truly is an Italian car lovers paradise, and easy to get to as well. And if you can’t make it, we have given you the best we can do for those in absentia. Enjoy.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

The Moretti-Cadillac Revealed

By

By Frédéric Levaux, Moretti Registry Curator
All photos courtesy of Jay Nichols except when otherwise noted

After reading Part 1, it is easier to understand who we were dealing with; you see why a modified Cadillac wearing Moretti emblems could actually make sense.
But why would Moretti customize a Cadillac for a Nicaraguan client?

Moretti was no stranger to one-offs, after the end of their mass production as a full-fledged car manufacturer at the end of the 50s, Moretti switched to body making exclusively on Fiat chassis. But there were exceptions, the most notable one being the Maserati 3500 GT rebodied by Moretti in 1965 as pictured in Part 1. This was based on an accident-damaged customer car from Denmark that had left the Maserati factory in Modena in 1962 as a normal coupé. Instead of simply having the car repaired, the owner at the time decided to have an independent fastback body built at Moretti. Moretti rebuilt the body but the car kept its original Maserati ID plates.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe
MENU